Through the Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project cooperative agreement (HRSA-24-038), HRSA provides funding to the National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICH...
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION:
Notice of supplemental funding.
SUMMARY:
Through the Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project cooperative agreement (HRSA-24-038), HRSA provides funding to the National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ) to provide technical assistance and support to Healthy Start Initiative (Healthy Start) award recipients. HRSA will provide supplemental award funds to NICHQ in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 to support the implementation of the Healthy Start Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring initiative for Healthy Start award recipients.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mabatemije Otubu, RN, MPH, Public Health Analyst, Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, HRSA, at
motubu@hrsa.gov
and (301) 594-4462.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Intended Recipient(s) of the Award:
The National Institute for Children's Health Quality.
Amount of Non-Competitive Award:
$500,000.
Project Period:
June 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027.
Assistance Listing Number:
93.926.
Award Instrument:
Cooperative agreement.
Authority:42 U.S.C. 254c-8 (Title III, § 330H of the Public Health Service Act).
( printed page 59147)
Table 1—Recipient(s) and Award Amount(s)
Grant No.
Award recipient name
City, state
Award
amount
UF5MC32750
National Institute for Children's Health Quality
Boston, MA
$500,000
Justification:
NICHQ, as the current Healthy Start Technical Assistance and Support Center (TASC), provides national technical assistance and support to all HRSA-funded Healthy Start award recipients. Supplemental funds will support the expansion of a self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring initiative within Healthy Start communities to promote earlier identification of preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States and disproportionately affect the types of populations served by Healthy Start. Preeclampsia, a life-threatening hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, affects as many as one in 12 pregnancies and can be effectively monitored through regular blood pressure measurement.
HRSA supplemented NICHQ's award with $175,000 in FY 2023 and $214,000 in FY 2024 ($389,000 total) to support a successful SMBP monitoring pilot previously implemented across 15 Healthy Start sites in 12 states. In FY 2026, Congress directed HRSA to expand this effort by providing no less than $250,000 to increase the number of states and Healthy Start sites able to benefit from the SMBP monitoring initiative. Specifically, the Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Pub. L. 119-75) included “no less than $250,000 for the Healthy Start blood pressure monitoring pilot, as described in Senate Report 119-55.” In Senate Report 119-55, the Committee provided “no less than $250,000 for more States to benefit from this pilot, and to the Healthy Start program to continue to support the self-measured blood pressure monitoring pilot, which works to identify preeclampsia during pregnancy at an earlier stage in high-risk communities by distributing blood pressure cuffs and patient information.”
As the Healthy Start TASC, NICHQ is well-positioned to support expanded implementation of the SMBP monitoring initiative among Healthy Start sites. Through this supplemental funding, NICHQ, as the Healthy Start TASC, will support Healthy Start award recipients in at least 15 states to expand access to SMBP monitoring for pregnant and postpartum women. This initiative will provide training, technical assistance, implementation guidance, and resources to selected Healthy Start sites in partnership with a subject matter expert in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. This effort builds on lessons learned from the previous SMBP monitoring pilot and is intended to broaden participation beyond the original pilot sites so that additional Healthy Start communities may benefit. Further information on Healthy Start is available at:
www.hrsa.gov/services/healthy-start.
42 U.S.C. 254c-8
www.hrsa.gov/services/healthy-start