The Title V program is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Prevention and Health Promotion Administration (PHPA), Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). Current leadership includes:

Maternal and Child Health Bureau:

Shelly Choo, MD, MPH, Director and Title V State Director

Alena Troxel, MPH,  Deputy Director

Prevention and Health Promotion Administration:

Donna Gugel, MHS, Director

Courtney McFadden, MPH, Deputy Director

Public Health Services:

Jinlene Chan, MD, MPH, FAAP, Acting Deputy Secretary

Maryland Department of Health:

Robert Neall, Secretary

Title V which is located within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau is managed by Colleen S. Wilburn, MPA.

Within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, there are four operational units:

The Office of Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs (OGPSHCN) is managed by Jed Miller, MD, MPH.  Dr. Miller also serves as the State Title V Children with Special Health Care Needs Director.  The OGPSHCN manages the Children’s Medical Services Program, the Early Hearing Detection Program, the Newborn Screening Follow-up Program, the Genetics Services Program and the Systems Development branch.  These programs provide comprehensive supports to individuals with special health care needs throughout the life course.

The Office of the Maryland WIC Program (OMWIC) is managed by Jennifer Wilson, M.Ed.  The OMWIC is the State’s supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children age 0-5.  This federally-funded program provides healthy supplemental foods and nutrition counseling and has served the State of Maryland for more than 40 years.  Strong collaboration between WIC and Title V helps to ensure that comprehensive nutrition counseling and services are provided to eligible participants.

The Office of Quality Initiatives (OQI) is managed by Maisha DouyonCover, MPH. This office oversees Title V efforts regarding infant mortality, maternal mortality and morbidity, the Maryland Child Abuse Medical Provider Network, Fetal Infant Mortality Review, Child Fatality Review and other special projects of statewide maternal and child health importance. Such special projects provide supports to ensure infrastructure and population based initiatives are targeted to Title V populations throughout the State.

The Office of Family and Community Health Services (OFCHS) is managed by Melissa Beasley.  This office is charged with the management and oversight of the State’s Title X Family Planning program as well as the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program along with various other child and adolescent health initiatives.  These programs provide both direct, enabling, and population-based services across the state to Title V eligible individuals with access to quality services aimed at improving health outcomes.

These four offices work in collaboration to improve the health and well-being of all Marylanders, including those eligible for Title V services through the life course. Using data from the most recent Title V Needs Assessment along with frequent data analysis, program evaluation and feedback from consumers as well as providers across the state, these offices work diligently to improve the health outcomes of women, infants, children, adolescents and children/youth with special health care needs.

In addition to the MCHB, Title V provides support, outreach and subject matter expertise on MCH populations and needs across all of PHPA’s administrative bureaus:  the Environmental Health Bureau, the Cancer and Chronic Disease Bureau, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau and the Infectious Disease Prevention and Health Services Bureau.  While these respective bureaus have a variety of programs and populations, ongoing collaborations with Title V ensure that their evidence-based and/or evidence-informed programs are well-versed in current maternal and child health care needs and are inclusive in their design and implementation in order to provide strong supports to Title V eligible populations.  Examples of programs overseen by these bureaus include, but are not limited to:  injury prevention, oral health, cancer screening and prevention, tobacco prevention and control, chronic disease prevention, immunizations, human immunodeficiency virus prevention and health services and sexually transmitted infection and prevention.

Title V has a strong presence in all 24 independent jurisdictions across the state.  Funding from the Title V Block Grant, either with federal or state funds, are used by local health departments to develop and implement programming that not only meets the needs of the maternal and child health community, but also aligns with the priorities identified by MDH as part of the 2015 Needs Assessment.  All of the maternal and child health efforts implemented at the local level are direct service, enabling services or public health system building initiatives.  Regular, ongoing communication and technical assistance is available and provided to local health departments and funded entities by the Title V Program Manager.

Title V is well positioned within the state health department to ensure that the funding and the programs are strategically designed and implemented to have the broadest reach and maximum benefit to Title V eligible populations.