Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022
Floor Speech
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Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, it was such an honor to work closely with the late Representative Jackie Walorski. I was consistently struck by her dedication to her district and deep desire to find ways to make our healthcare system work for everyone.
On the Ways and Means Committee, in particular, she and I worked together to co-lead bills on breast cancer equity and on medical nutrition therapy for those in the Medicare program with eating disorders.
I also had the pleasure of co-chairing the Integrative Health and Wellness Caucus with her to help educate Members of Congress on the various ways that integrative health can help support our traditional medical system and lead to improved care for patients.
I am thrilled that we are honoring her legacy with today's bill which reauthorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, or MIECHV. This bill also increases for the first time in a decade Federal investments into the program.
Home visiting for pregnant women and families with young children have a proven record of improving outcomes for children's health, well- being, and readiness for school. But currently, less than 5 percent of eligible families each year have access to the program, including in my own district in Los Angeles County. An estimated 37,000 families were served through evidence-based home visiting models in 2021 alone, but 750,000 more families were eligible for services during this same time but could not receive them.
In addition, recruitment and retention of home visitors are key challenges to adequately serving families. Low wages and poor benefits for the field is a main driver of these challenges, and additional funding is needed to address these workforce challenges and provide competitive wages to these vital providers. That is why I am so excited about the investments in this bill which will help increase capacity to serve those in need.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
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