Democrats Want To Make It Safer Give Birth In Pennsylvania
If you’re a person thinking of giving birth in Pennsylvania, you might consider moving first. When compared with global maternal health statistics, the odds are against pregnant people in the United States. Worse still for parents and infants in the Keystone State, maternal mortality outcomes here are in the lower half of the nation.
Recently, some Pennsylvania lawmakers have voted to change that. Last month, State Senator Judith Schwank of Berks County brought SB 262 to her colleagues. It passed unanimously on June 13. Not a single member of the Pennsylvania Senate voted against the bill which would change the Maternal Mortality Review Act (more about that later) by adding a reporting requirement to include information from the Department of Health.
“Once we get this data in, we will be able to help set different protocols,” resulting in better outcomes, said Audrey Mindy, policy associate in Senator Schwank’s office. Those changes may incorporate a host of new technologies including better telehealth options for pregnant individuals living in maternal health deserts.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health agrees. In a statement to the Bucks County Beacon, Press Secretary Mark O’Neill confirmed SB 262 “amends the Maternal Mortality Review Act to strengthen the data collection capabilities of the Department of Health to better understand maternal morbidity in Pennsylvania and create evidence-based best practices, interventions, and policy solutions.”
Bucks County Representative Perry Warren looks forward to voting for Schwank’s initiative when it comes before the house this week. During his decades-long marriage, Warren’s wife Elizabeth, a neonatal nurse, would come home from work describing mostly unnecessary, negative maternal health outcomes. He’s enthusiastic and endorses the need to gather data and “raise awareness.” He believes the mandated “reporting will help the legislature seek solutions.”
https://buckscountybeacon.com/2023/06/democrats-want-to-make-it-safer-give-birth-in-pennsylvania/
