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The Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University is working with the Texas Department of State Health Services to conduct an assessment of the mental and physical healthcare needs of the families in Texas. Currently, PPRI is conducting public forums in different Texas counties. This website provides information on these forums and on the other stages of the needs assessment process.
What is Title V? Back to Top
When the Social Security Act was passed in 1935, the Federal Government, through Title V, pledged its support of State efforts to extend and improve health and welfare services for mothers and children. The goal of the Title V block grant is to:
Improve the health of all mothers and children consistent with the applicable health status goals and national health objectives established by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [source]
The purpose of the Texas Title V Program is to address the overall intent of the Block Grant to improve the health of all mothers, women of childbearing age, infants, children, adolescents and children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The state of Texas has responsibility to provide and assure access to quality maternal and child health (MCH) services for mothers and children; provide and promote family-centered, community-based, coordinated systems of care for CSHCN and their families; and facilitate the development of community-based systems of care for the MCH and CSHCN populations.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is the state agency responsible for administration of the Title V program. Within DSHS, the Division for Family and Community Health Services is responsible for most women’s and children’s programs.
What is the Needs Assessment Process? Back to Top
The Office of Title V and Family Health of DSHS is required to complete a statewide needs assessment every five years in order to receive federal funding. To help with this needs assessment process, the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University has been working with the Department of State Health Services.
The assessment is expected to identify the prioritized needs for:
- preventive and primary care services for pregnant women, mothers and infants,
- preventive and primary care services for children and adolescents, and
- services for children with special health care needs.
Needs for the Texas communities are identified and prioritized through a multi-stage process. From April to June 2009, Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) conducted community listening sessions in 25 Texas counties to assess the mental and physical healthcare needs of the local families. Providers, consumers, advocates, families and local health care offices were invited to participate in these sessions.
Later in the year, there were opportunities to voice your opinion and identify the most important needs by participating in a web survey. Now that the physical and mental healthcare needs for Texas families have been prioritized, a public commenting period on the statewide most important list of needs has begun. Public forums are being held in each of the public health regions in Texas to hear people’s opinions on the list of the needs.
What were Community Listening Sessions? Back to Top
The community listening sessions were primarily 2-hour long facilitated feedback sessions where about 20-30 participants were able to offer and address a list of important community health challenges and successes related to the MCH/ CSHCN population.
The sessions were held during the months of March, April, May and June 2009, in the following 25 Texas counties: Lubbock, Scurry, Brown, Gaines, Eastland, Hidalgo, Potter, Harris, Wharton, Lamar, Madison, Webb, El Paso, Dallas, Navarro, Jim Wells, Jasper, Kleberg, Gonzales, Bexar, Falls, Travis, Panola, Tom Green and Red River.
The sessions identified the needs for the MCH population, including the CSHCN population. Information collected from the sessions has been used to develop the long range priorities and plans for the use of Title V funds in the state of Texas. Collected information helps DSHS identify opportunities for collaboration / integration among programs within local and relevant state agencies serving women, children, adolescents, and children and youth with special health care needs.