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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
nurse-home visitation; program; appropriations
Purpose
Establishes the Evidenced-Based Nurse-Home Visitor Grant Program (Grant Program) within the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to prevent child maltreatment and neglect, improve maternal and child health and promote families' economic mobility. Appropriates $15,000,000 and five full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) from the state general fund (state GF) in FY 2024 to DCS to administer the Grant Program.
Background
DCS's primary purpose is to protect children. DCS must: 1) investigate reports of abuse and neglect; 2) assess, promote and support the safety of a child in a safe and stable family or other appropriate placement in response to allegations of abuse or neglect; 3) work cooperatively with law enforcement regarding reports that include criminal conduct allegations; and 4) without compromising child safety, coordinate services to achieve and maintain permanency on behalf of the child, strengthen the family and provide prevention, intervention and treatment services (A.R.S. § 8-451).
The Title IV- E Prevention Services Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) was established by the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. HHS) to conduct an objective and transparent review of research on programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. The Clearinghouse rates programs and services as well-supported, supported, promising or does not currently meet criteria (Clearinghouse).
H.B. 2053 appropriates $15,000,000 and five FTEs from the state GF in FY 2024 to DCS to administer the Grant Program.
Provisions
1. Establishes the Grant Program within DCS to prevent child maltreatment and neglect, improve maternal and child health, including child development, and to promote families' economic mobility.
2. Appropriates $15,000,000 and five FTEs from the state GF in FY 2024 to DCS to administer the Grant Program.
3. Allows DCS to use up to $382,500 of the appropriated monies in FYs 2024, 2025 and 2026 to administer the Grant Program.
4. Requires DCS to award grant monies to at least one eligible organization to provide voluntary, evidence-based nurse-home visiting services (nurse-home services) for a three-year period to first-time, low-income, expectant mothers who voluntarily enroll before their third trimester.
5. Includes, in the nurse-home services provided by an eligible organization:
a) assessments and screenings;
b) care coordination;
c) case management;
d) preventive education and counseling;
e) nurse-delivered interventions and referrals to health and human services;
f) educational or job development resources; and
g) other appropriate supports.
6. Requires the nurse-home services to be available through the second birthday of a child born to a participating new mother.
7. Deems, as eligible organizations, public and private entities, nonprofit organizations, county and other local government entities and tribal nations.
8. Requires DCS, when determining which organizations may be awarded grant monies, to give preference to organizations that:
a) are working and providing services in Arizona;
b) limit Grant Program enrollees to first-time expectant mothers who voluntarily enroll before the 28th week of pregnancy;
c) provide services to Grant Program enrollees and their children from early prenatal enrollment through the child's second birthday;
d) employ licensed registered nurses (RNs) that have received, or are actively pursuing, a nursing degree to provide services;
e) provide services in the enrollee's home, via telehealth or at another location, as directed by the enrollee; and
f) can demonstrate either delivery by December 31, 2022, or capacity to begin delivery, within 90 days after receiving a grant, of RN services that meets the criteria of the U.S. HHS-established evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery model with favorable impacts found for reductions in child maltreatment and, as of January 1, 2023, is ranked as a well-supported service by the Clearinghouse to prevent foster care placements and provide enhanced support to children and families through in-home parenting skill-based services.
9. Requires an organization that receives grant monies, for the purpose of evaluating successful service delivery, to submit data to DCS, as prescribed in the Children's Health Bureau Title IV-E Prevention Programs Data Elements, to the extent the data is collected as standard practice in the course of service delivery.
10. Requires DCS, by August 31 of 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027, to publish a report that includes the following information for the previous fiscal year:
a) the number of awarded grants, the recipient organizations and the number of participants expected to be served;
b) the number of unduplicated participants enrolled during the reporting period for each recipient organization;
c) the total number of hours spent providing home-visiting services to enrolled participants; and
d) other data and information related to measures of health and well-being of Grant Program participants and their children as deemed necessary by DCS to the extent the data is collected and reported as standard practice in the course of service delivery.
11. Repeals the Grant Program on January 1, 2028.
12. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing and reverts any unspent monies remaining on January 1, 2028, to the state GF.
13. Contains a statement of legislative findings.
14. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
HHS 2/6/23 DP 9-0-0-0
APPROP 2/20/23 DPA 11-1-3-0
3rd Read 3/7/23 48-12-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 17, 2023
MG/MC/slp