The Title V Maternal and Child Health and Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) programs are located within the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division (MCAH) of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). MCAH is one of three divisions housed in the Center for Family Health (CFH) within CDPH. CDPH is one of the 12 Departments and five Offices that make up the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS). The agencies and organizational structures are described below.

California Health and Human Services (CalHHS)

CalHHS is the state health agency that oversees the Title V MCH and CYSHCN programs. The Agency oversees departments and state entities that support the health of California’s population, especially the most vulnerable. The CalHHS mission is to work with counties, cities, and communities, as well as public, private, faith, and educational partners to make California a healthy and vibrant place to live, play, work, and learn. Kim Johnson, the Secretary of CalHHS, was appointed in September 2024 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Prior to her appointment as Secretary, Ms. Johnson served as the Director of the California Department of Social Services from July 2019 to August 2024.

CalHHS oversees 12 Departments, and five Offices as listed below. CDPH is highlighted in purple.

California Department of Public Health

CDPH is the largest nationally accredited state public health department in the country. CDPH works to protect the public’s health in the Golden State and helps shape positive health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. The Department’s programs and services, implemented in collaboration with 61 local health jurisdictions (LHJs) and state, federal, and private partners, touch the lives of every Californian and visitor to the state 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CDPH’s fundamental responsibilities include infectious disease control and prevention, food safety, environmental health, laboratory services, patient safety, emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, family health, healthy outcomes for all people, and vital records and statistics. The Title V MCH and CYSHCN programs sit within the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division (MCAH) in the Center for Family Health (CFH).

CDPH Center for Family Health

CFH is one of seven Centers and eight Offices within CDPH. The CFH mission is to protect and promote the health of individuals, pregnant women, and their children. CHF recognizes the lifelong benefits of early investment in children to reduce risk and injury and increase resiliency to better buffer life’s challenges. CFH programs include MCAH, the Genetic Disease Screening Program (GDSP) which oversees prenatal as well as newborn genetic screening, and the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC).

Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division

The mission of MCAH is to support the vision of CFH by implementing strategies to improve health, support the development of children and adolescents, and foster well-being across the reproductive life course. MCAH oversees programs that serve California's various populations, as well as specialized collection and analysis of data related to reproductive health, pregnancy, child health and more.

MCAH also works with LHJs and Community-Based Organizations throughout the state that share priorities around maternal, child and youth health. This collaboration is crucial for promoting and improving systems of care that ensure easy access to healthy choices for California's families. 

The Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant is foundational to CDPH/MCAH, providing core funding to California to improve the health and well-being of mothers, infants, children, and youth, including CYSHCN and their families.  In addition to the Title V Block Grant, CDPH/MCAH leverages an assorted portfolio of funding sources to support its initiatives, including:

• State General Funds
• State Future of Public Health Funds
• Federal Title XIX Medicaid Reimbursements
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program Federal Grant
• California Personal Responsibility Education Program (CA PREP) Federal Grant
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Preventing Maternal Deaths Federal Grant
• Other supplemental funding sources as available

Department of Health Care Services Integrated Systems of Care Division

While most Title V funds are implemented via CDPH/MCAH, a portion of these funds are implemented via the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Integrated Systems of Care Division (ISCD) via an interagency agreement to support programming for the California CYSHCN population. Additionally, the State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI) and the SSDI Director are currently operating within DHCS/ICSD. CDPH/MCAH is working with DHCS to bring that position and the related funded activities back to MCAH. Additional information about the relationship between CDPH/MCAH and Medicaid is included in the section, “III.B.3.c. Relationship with Medicaid.”

Administration of Title V

The California Title V Program is administered by CDPH/MCAH. MCAH has a Title V Management Team (TVMT) that oversees all Title V-related reporting and application processes, needs assessment processes, and other key Title V-related efforts. The TVMT includes the following staff:

• MCAH Division Director & Title V Director
• Acting Assistant Division Director
• Title V Coordinator
• Title V CYSHCN Director
• CYSHCN Coordinator

CDPH/MCAH continues to operate domain teams for each of the five population health domains who work closely with Branch Managers in Title V reporting and other coordination activities. CDPH/MCAH Branch Managers include the following staff:

• Maternal and Infant Health Branch Manager
• Acting Child and Adolescent Health Branch Manager
• Program Evaluation and Data Systems Branch Manager
• Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Federal Reporting Section Manager
• Acting Administrative Support Branch Manager

The CDPH/MCAH proposed budget for FFY 2026 Title V Block Grant funds is $41,406,438. For every four dollars of federal Title V funds, states and jurisdictions must provide at least three dollars in non-federal funds. The required FFY 2026 State match for California is $31,054,829. California continues to maintain and exceed the State match amount as the CDPH/MCAH Division FFY 2026 budget totals $305,566,978 with $163,254,069 in federal funds, and $142,312,909 in non-federal funds. California’s ability to match federal Title V funds with non-federal fund resources above the required minimum amount demonstrates its shared commitment to improving maternal and child health outcomes and long-term sustainability to provide services.

Programs Funded by MCH Block Grant

The MCAH Division provides Title V funding to the 61 LHJs across California. These LHJs play a critical role in the collaborative development of priorities and strategies that drive the MCAH mission. Title V supports a variety of programs and initiatives across the division, including but not limited to the following:

• Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP)
• Black Infant Health Program (BIH)
• CYSHCN, including CYSHCN Innovation Grants
• Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP)
• California Fetal Infant Mortality Review Plus (CA FIMR+)
• Gestational Diabetes and Postpartum Care
• High-Risk Infant Follow-Up (HRIF) Program via SSDI
• Human Stem Cell Research
• Local MCAH Program
• Maternal Quality Indicators (MQI)
• Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA)
• Nutrition, Physical Activity (NUPA) and Breastfeeding
• Preconception/Interconception Health
• Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR)
• Regional Perinatal Programs of California (RPPC)
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SIDS/SUID) Program

Organizational Charts

The organizational charts for CalHHS, CDPH, CDPH/MCAH and DHCS/ISCD are included as attachments.