Maternal & Child Health Department

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Department is committed to serving the needs of mothers, children, and fathers in the Great Plains region. The Department’s mission is to promote the health and well-being of American Indian families in Great Plains tribal communities through direct service, research, epidemiology, and technical assistance. MCH provides breastfeeding support, home visits, and the promotion of male involvement for mothers and infants, including during the prenatal stage.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Programs

Great Plains Healthy Start Program

GPHS utilizes Community Health Workers to deliver paraprofessional health services to women of childbearing age, their partners, and children from birth to 18 months. Services provided are free for residents in one of the eight (8) Healthy Start communities in North and South Dakota. The program improves health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy and addresses health and social service needs to strengthen family resilience.

Indigenous Linking Actions in Unmet Needs Children's Health (ILAUNCH) Program

ILAUNCH develops safe, supportive environments for children ages 0-8 and their families living on and near Rosebud Sioux tribal communities. The project strengthens capacity and infrastructure and increases support to families through direct services that help children grow up healthy and ready to learn.

Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (GP-TMIECHV)

MIECHV provides home visiting services for SWO families with young children, from birth to kindergarten entry. The program assesses community needs and service integration while developing community capacity and enhancing systems of care. This home visiting service will support healthy development by addressing maternal and child health, early learning, family support, and promote positive child and family outcomes.

The Rural Communities Opioid Response Project for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (RCORP-NAS)

The Rural Communities Opioid Response Project for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (RCORP – NAS) is a project that serves Indigenous women, mothers, and women of childbearing age who are at risk of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), and other Substance Use Disorders (SUD) on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation community.

Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreement Program (TIPCAP) & Great Plains Injury Prevention Program (GPIPP)

TIPCAP focuses on community awareness of and education on appropriate child car seat usage and child safety restraint in vehicles for 17 tribal communities and one service unit in the Great Plains Area. The program assesses and identifies current child passenger safety capacity, resources and needs; increases community Child Passenger Safety Technician capacity; and distributes seats to families who lack resources to purchase them.