For Del. Jennifer White Holland (D-10) addressing maternal and child health has been a passion for “quite some time.” The public health professional said that her lived experience led her to sponsor a key piece of legislation that looks to improve outcomes for expectant mothers.
“I've witnessed my line sisters, my close friends and family members, who have had challenging pregnancies, some even experienced loss,” said White Holland. “So it's a very personal issue. I think about the women in my life, the Black woman in particular, who could very well benefit.”
The Maryland Maternal Health Act of 2024 is among the hundreds of pieces of legislation awaiting the governor’s signature. The bill, considered a priority by the Legislative Black Caucus and Women’s Caucus passed both chambers of the General Assembly with no opposition.
In Maryland, the maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 21.2 per 100,000 live births; however racial health disparities persist. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than their white counterparts, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also deemed 80% of all maternal deaths preventable.
The Maternal Health Act of 2024 aims to strengthen care coordination by requiring the following:
- Maryland Department of Health will make the prenatal risk assessment form and postpartum infant maternal referral form available electronically. Advocates say doctors are more likely to fill out the forms if they are in no longer in paper form.
- Provide resources for high-risk patients within 48 hours of delivery. Women with chronic health conditions have a 61% chance of having a preterm birth compared to those without any chronic health conditions, according to a 2023 report. The law calls for those resources to be “specific to a woman’s circumstances” such as treatment for substance abuse or mental health counseling, if necessary.
- Creates a report card for birthing facilities. “Maryland has made some improvements in maternal health, moving from a D to a C. The work continues,” said Sen. Arthur Ellis, (D-28) who sponsored the bill in the senate.
- All birthing hospitals must participate in the severe maternal morbidity or SMM program. The SMM Surveillance and Review Program will report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2025.
Several representatives from interest groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Maryland Association of County Health Officers and even the state’s health secretary, Laura Herrera Scott, testified in support of the Maternal Health Act, at a senate hearing last month.
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