(a) The Commissioner of Public Health shall establish a maternal and child health protection program. He shall contract, for purposes of the program, annually, within available appropriations, with local providers of health services to provide outpatient maternal health services and labor and delivery services to needy pregnant women and child health services to children under six years of age. Eligibility shall be limited to families who have an income equal to or less than one hundred eighty-five per cent of the poverty level, according to the federal Office of Management and Budget poverty guidelines for nonfarm families, lack private, third party health insurance to cover such services. Such local providers shall determine eligibility for services under the program. The contracts shall include criteria for making such determination in accordance with this section. Outpatient services provided under the program shall include at least the outpatient services provided to Medicaid recipients. The commissioner shall conduct an outreach program designed to educate the public with regard to the program and to encourage providers to participate in the program. The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall seek any federal matching funds available for the program.

(b) The Commissioner of Public Health shall allocate a percentage of program funds, for contracts with community health centers in Bridgeport, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, New London, Stamford, Waterbury and Willimantic. The commissioner may use program funds to establish or fund innovative programs designed to improve the delivery of health services to eligible women and children. The commissioner shall continue to perform evaluation using outcome measures developed in consultation with the Office of Policy and Management.

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-17, S. 1, 3; P.A. 86-392, S. 1, 3; P.A. 88-238, S. 1, 2; P.A. 90-13, S. 2; 90-134, S. 9, 28; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-160; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 91, 165.)

History: P.A. 86-392 added Subsec. (c) re allocation of funds to community health centers; P.A. 88-238 amended Subsec. (a) by adding labor and delivery services, adding language pertaining to children, up to an age, not to exceed age 5, specifying that outpatient services include at least the outpatient services provided to medical assistance recipients and adding language on regulations, the outreach program and federal matching funds, deleted former Subsec. (b) describing services under the program and relettered Subsec. (c), amending it to remove language specifying how the funds allocated to community health centers should be used and adding language on program evaluation and the use of funds for innovative programs; P.A. 90-13 removed the requirement for the commissioner of health services to adopt regulations, deleted language prohibiting participation in the program by medical assistance recipients and specified that the age limit be determined by the commissioner; P.A. 90-134 changed the age limitation from an age determined by the commissioner not to exceed age 5 to 6 years of age; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-160 amended Subsec. (b) deleting 2% reserve fund requirement and adding requirement that the commissioner continue to perform evaluation; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) to make a technical and conforming change, effective July 1, 1997.

See Sec. 19a-490a for definition of “community health center”.