Mother’s health bills continue to move through Virginia’s legislation – Virginia Mercury

Democratic MPs celebrated the continuous development of a set of bills and changes to the budget aimed at improving the health results of the mother called “Virginia MomibusS “

The package includes increased Medicaid recovery for midwives, Doula’s extended coverage to support parents after birth, accelerated Medicaid enrollment for pregnant people, and set up a women’s health policy committee. Investments in pilot programs are also proposed for a hypertension and diabetes monitoring program (two health conditions, pregnancy can be enhanced) and a program to assist in the care of children to employees.

While some measures are re -introducing previous legislation, others arise from workpiece In the last year to get involved a A committee that has toured the state Focus on health problems in rural areas.

About 30% of Virginia’s counties do not have a birth center within a 30-minute road, according to a Dimes march, a non-profit purpose that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. In southwestern and southern Virginia in recent years have seen each other Closing several obstetric units.

While Republican MPs were pressing to finance medical residences in last year’s budget and governor Glen Youngkin goal To do this again, there are also suggestions for the strengthening of midwives and dullars – healthcare professionals who have played decisive roles that are already in dealing with mother’s health gaps.

“This is a moral imperative for determining our high mortality rate of the mother, but it is also an economic imperative to correct it. The aspiration economy begins with a pursuit of families, “said Senator Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, at a press conference on Wednesday morning, to mark the prolonged development of the bills led by Democrats.

So far, the measures have cleared their palaces of origin and progress in the next ones. In order to become a law, the legislation must clear both the Chamber of Delegates and the Virginia Senate before the governor sign them, seek changes, or veto them.

An idea that is already on the way to the Youngkin Bureau has faced his control and the very very veto last year.

Senate Bill 740 by Senator Mami Locke, D-Hampton, and House bill 1649 By del. Cliff Hayes, D-Suffolk, will require implicit teaching for addiction for medical professionals in the renewal of licenses.

Studies show that black parents should be more likely To partly experience the results of the mother’s health, partly due to the racial biases of the suppliers. Black women are too more likely to die of pregnancy -related complications.

These statistics are why Senator Chris Head, R-Botetourt, is a co-sponsor of Locke’s account to provide support.

“Women whose skin is darker than my wife’s skin have significantly worse results,” he said last year. “Something has to be considered and done for it.”

Instead of veto, Youngkin first seeks to amend the bill in order to require “two hours of activities to continue the training that relate to the mother’s health for the population of women who show experience, much more greater than the mother’s average mortality rate. “

As it did last year, Locke said the reduction “raised” the bill. She also confirmed a statement from last year that Youngkin’s veto demonstrated “a case of unconscious bias and a lack of cultural competence.”

Asked about the pending legislation that his review may expect, including Locke’s bill, governor spokesman Christian Martinez said that Youngkin “made a priority to deal with the difference in the mother’s health outcomes through a process that is oriented to data oriented. It focuses on helping mothers to deliver a healthy health. ”

Wider, the Youngkin’s team indicates Executive directive He issued the State Health Department to include pregnancy -related data on the health and child data dashboard. His own budget demands include funding to support Dulles and a campaign to increase the public for life -threatening complications.

With the completion of the legislative session by the end of this month, the governor and legislators will also work to finalize the agreed amendments to the state budget in the coming months.