Malliotakis Supports Bipartisan Effort to Extend Healthy Start Program for Five Years

August 5, 2025

(STATEN ISLAND, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was joined by members of the Community Health Center of Richmond to rally support for her bipartisan legislation introduced earlier this year to extend the Healthy Start program through 2030. The program provides grants to community-based organizations to reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes. Just over the past two years, this program has delivered more than $2 million to the Community Health Center of Richmond to support women, infants, and families. CHC of Richmond is the only federally qualified health center on Staten Island.

Healthy Start provides grants to community-based organizations to help reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes, and since its launch the program has grown significantly, reaching hundreds of communities across the nation and becoming a vital part of maternal and child health efforts in the U.S. It has played a key role in reducing disparities in infant mortality rates through its community-driven approach and ability to adapt to the evolving needs of vulnerable families.

In New York, eight health centers operate Healthy Start programs that provide maternal healthcare to thousands of mothers and children across all boroughs of NYC and in upstate communities. Throughout the United States, there are 115 Healthy Start programs providing services in 37 states to over 90,000 mother and families, participating in the program.

As a result, the program provides a wide range of services to low-income residents, including care coordination, breastfeeding and childbirth education, parenting support, smoking cessation assistance, nutritional counseling, psychosocial services, home visits, and support groups.

"Over the past two years, this program has delivered more than $2 million to the Community Health Center of Richmond in my district to support women, infants, and families in low-income communities,” said Representative Nicole Malliotakis. Our bipartisan legislation will continue the authorization of the Healthy Start program, which has successfully improved health outcomes for new mothers and reduced infant mortality rates and other adverse perinatal outcomes nationwide. I look forward to continuing working to get this legislation across the finish line."

“Healthy Start provides vital community-based clinical and wraparound supports for pregnant women, infants, and families—helping prevent infant mortality and improve maternal and child health outcomes. If funding for this program is eliminated, communities will lose access to critical life-saving services. CHCs serve 10% of the U.S. population but represent roughly only 1% of total annual healthcare spending nationwide. Keeping people healthy by providing comprehensive primary care doesn’t just save lives – it saves money. We are grateful for Congresswoman Malliotakis’ continued leadership and support to reauthorize funding for the Healthy Start program,” said Dr. Henry Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the Community Health Center of Richmond.

The Healthy Start Program, launched in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, continues to receive strong bipartisan support. Its mission is to reduce infant mortality and improve maternal and child health outcomes, particularly in communities with disproportionately high rates of poor birth outcomes.