Governor unveils new plans to improve maternal health

On Dec. 17, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a slew of new initiatives meant to help families and improve maternal health outcomes.

According to a news release from Youngkin’s office, the new initiatives focus on three pillars: improving data, expanding targeted high-quality care, and increasing awareness.

Among the initiatives are two legislative targets. The first would require all hospitals to “participate in quality improvement initiatives and all emergency services have adequate provisions and protocols, known as ‘safety bundles,’ to care for obstetric patients, recognizing urgent maternal warning signs including cardiac conditions.” The second would allow midwives from out of state to obtain a Virginia license to practice in the state, something that is not currently legal.

Youngkin also issued Executive Order Eleven, which directs the Virginia Department of Health to add to the Maternal and Child Health Data Dashboard to include data on “pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related mortality and causes,” while creating a central website on maternal health to provide families with essential resources. The website will be created using $1 million of existing Transformation Office funds. The order also directs the Department of Medicaid Services to form a work group of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to improve prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services.

Finally, the governor announced budget proposals for “perinatal hubs, additional funding for doulas and community health workers, an awareness campaign, and increasing reimbursement for high-demand residency slots.” These would all aim to improve maternal health, decrease maternal mortality, and improve both maternal and infant outcomes.

“When we started on our journey, we knew that we needed to approach the problem in a new way, our overall guiding principle was this: We will see every mother and work collectively to provide the care she needs to deliver a healthy, thriving baby,” said Youngkin. “Today, we are going further on all three of our key pillars to ensure mothers have the resources they need during pregnancy, during birth, and postpartum.”

“Every mother deserves the peace of mind that comes with knowing she and her baby are receiving the best possible care,” added Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly. “Our key pillars and announcements by the Governor today are about making sure that when someone reaches out for help, they find it — whether it’s through a trained doula, a community health worker, or their respective healthcare provider who can help guide them before, during and after pregnancy.”

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Live Action News.]