Bill Text: NJ A3997 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires Commissioner of Health to establish maternity care public awareness campaign.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee [A3997 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3997-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Health to establish maternity care public awareness campaign.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act regarding maternity care and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families, shall establish a maternity care public awareness campaign to improve overall maternal and child health while ensuring equitable care among women and children of all races and ethnicities. The Commissioner of Health shall coordinate with any other entity that is engaged in a related maternity care public awareness campaign in order to not duplicate any efforts made in implementing the provisions of this act. The campaign shall disseminate information about maternal health and encourage the public to access a user-friendly website, which shall be developed and maintained by the Department of Health. The campaign shall, at a minimum:
a. disseminate aggregated data to the public in an easily-understood language and format regarding hospital rates of cesarean births, exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, and vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, among other information, to assist women in the selection of maternity care providers and birthing locations;
b. promote active engagement in maternity care, patient rights, making informed choices, and the use of shared decision-making models and decision-making aids;
c. disseminate information to healthcare professionals regarding how to document the patient's preferences regarding the care provided during labor and delivery, also known as the patient's birth plan, in the patient's health records;
d. disseminate information to the public on avoiding interventions that may be unneeded or that may increase pregnancy-related risks, such as primary cesarean sections and non-medically indicated early inductions; the advantages of physiologic labor and the activities and practices that will facilitate a physiologic labor process; and the benefits of using high-value forms of care such as midwives, birthing centers, doulas, and lactation support;
e. promote the maternal and child health programs and services that are available in the State, and encourage members of the public to contact their county central intake agency to obtain information concerning, and referrals to, appropriate programs and services, and;
f. provide information on the department's Internet website regarding parents' rights to family leave pursuant to P.L.2008, c.17 (C.43:21-39 et al.), the "Family Leave Act," P.L.1989, c.261 (C.34:11B-1 et seq.), and the federal "Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993," Pub.L.103-3 (29 U.S.C. s.2601 et seq.);
g. provide the public with information about breastfeeding and pregnancy discrimination rights pursuant to P.L.2013, c.220 (C.10:5-3.1 et al.); and
h. provide the public with information about the eligibility requirements and the application process to enroll in coverage for pregnant women under the State Medicaid program.
2. The Department of Health shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to implement the provisions of section 1 of this act.
3. This act shall take effect 180 days after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish a maternal health public awareness campaign to improve overall maternal and child health while ensuring equitable care among women and children of all races and ethnicities. The campaign is to disseminate information about maternal health and encourage the public to access a user-friendly website to be established and maintained by the Department of Health (department).
Under the bill, the campaign will, at a minimum: (1) disseminate aggregated data to the public concerning hospital rates of: cesarean births, exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, and vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, among other information, to assist women in the selection of maternity care providers and birthing locations; (2) promote active engagement in maternity care, patient rights, making informed choices, and the use of shared decision-making models and decision-making aids; (3) disseminate information to healthcare professionals regarding how to document the patient' s preferences regarding care provided during labor and delivery, otherwise known as a birth plan, in the patient's health records; (4) disseminate information to the public on avoiding interventions that may be unneeded or that may increase pregnancy-related risks, the advantages of physiologic birth, which is a pregnancy, labor, and birth process that progresses through natural biologic processes, and the benefits of using high-value forms of care such as midwives, birthing centers, doulas, and lactation support; (5) promote the maternal and child health programs and services that are available in the State and encourage the public to contact county central intake agencies to obtain information and appropriate referrals; (6) provide information on the department' s Internet website regarding parent' s rights to family leave under State and federal law; (7) provide the public with information about breastfeeding and pregnancy discrimination rights; and (8) provide the public with information about the eligibility requirements and the application process to enroll in coverage for pregnant women under the State Medicaid program.
