Sponsored by:
Senator NILSA CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Health to establish maternity care public awareness campaign.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on March 4, 2019, with amendments.
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 1, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families,1 shall establish a maternity 1care1 public 1[health] awareness1 campaign 1[, which] to improve overall maternal and child health while ensuring equitable care among women and children of all races and ethnicities. 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 campaign1 shall, at a minimum:
a. 1[encourage the public to access a user-friendly website, that is created and maintained by the Commissioner and which uses comparative data on maternal outcomes and information to help mothers choose maternal care providers and birthing locations;
b.]1 disseminate aggregated data to the public 1in an easily-understood language and format1 regarding 1[:] hospital1 rates of 1[Cesarean] cesarean1 births, 1[breast feeding] exclusive breastfeeding at discharge1, and vaginal birth after cesarean delivery 1, among other information, to assist women in the selection of maternity care providers and birthing locations1;
1[c.] b.1 promote 1active engagement in maternity care, patient rights, making informed choices, and1 the use of shared decision-making models and decision-making aids;
1[d.] c.1 disseminate information to healthcare professionals regarding how to document 1[preferred care] the patient’s preferences regarding the care provided during labor and delivery, also known as the patient’s birth plan,1 in 1the patient’s1 health records;
1[e.] d.1 disseminate information to the public on 1[becoming engaged in maternity care, making informed choices, patient rights, experiencing physiological processes before and after birth,] :1 avoiding interventions 1[,] 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;1 and 1the benefits of1 using high-value forms of care such as midwives, birthing centers, doulas, and lactation support;
1[f. promote the Commissioner’s Community Health Workers and Central Intake Programs through the Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Initiative or a successor program] 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, and1;
1[g.] f.1 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 1[29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq., the federal Family and Medical Leave Act] the federal “Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993,” Pub.L. 103-3 (29 U.S.C. s.2601 et seq.)1;
1[h.] g. provide the public with1 information about breastfeeding and pregnancy discrimination rights pursuant to P.L.2013, c.220 1(C.10:5-3.1 et al.)1; and
1[i.] h. provide the public with1 information about 1[edibility] the eligibility requirements1 and the application process 1[for the Medically Needy program under the federal] to enroll in coverage for pregnant women under the State1 Medicaid program 1[for pregnant women]1.
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.