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SB-492 Maternal health.(2021-2022)

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Date Published: 04/19/2021 09:00 PM
SB492:v97#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  April 19, 2021
Amended  IN  Senate  March 25, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 492

Introduced by Senator Hurtado

February 17, 2021

An act to add Article 4.7 (commencing with Section 123635) to Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 106 amend Section 123630.4 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to maternal health.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 492, as amended, Hurtado. Maternal health.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to track data on pregnancy-related deaths, including specified health conditions, indirect obstetric deaths, and other maternal disorders predominantly related to pregnancy and complications predominantly related to the puerperium, and requires this data to be published at least once every 3 years.

This bill would rename the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee under the department as the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, and would require the committee to be composed of a minimum of 9 members, as specified. The bill would require the committee to, among other things, identify and review all pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity and publish its findings and recommendations to the public.

This bill would require the department to review pertinent records in tracking this data, and to collect specified information about the pregnant person for each pregnancy-related death, including the pregnant person’s county of residence, the existence of social supports, and the number of prenatal appointments attended. The bill would permit the department to group data by geographic regions for the purposes of identifying clusters of pregnancy deaths.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 123630.4 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

123630.4.
 (a) The State Department of Public Health shall track data on severe maternal morbidity, including, but not limited to, all of the following health conditions:
(1) Obstetric hemorrhage.
(2) Hypertension.
(3) Preeclampsia and eclampsia.
(4) Venous thromboembolism.
(5) Sepsis.
(6) Cerebrovascular accident.
(7) Amniotic fluid embolism.
(b) The data on severe maternal morbidity collected pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be published at least once every three years, after all of the following have occurred:
(1) The data has been aggregated by state regions, as defined by the State Department of Public Health, to ensure data reflects how regionalized care systems are or should be collaborating to improve maternal health outcomes, or other smaller regional sorting based on standard statistical methods for accurate dissemination of public health data without risking a confidentiality or other disclosure breach.
(2) The data has been disaggregated by racial and ethnic identity.
(c) The State Department of Public Health shall track data on pregnancy-related deaths, including, but not limited to, all of the conditions listed in subdivision (a), indirect obstetric deaths, and other maternal disorders predominantly related to pregnancy and complications predominantly related to the puerperium. In tracking data on pregnancy-related deaths, the department shall do both of the following:
(1) Review pertinent records, including, but not limited to, medical or hospital records, death certificates, and medical examiner reports.
(2) Collect the following information about the pregnant person for each pregnancy-related death:
(A) County of residence.
(B) Distance from the residence to nearest health facility, clinic, or doctor’s office where prenatal care is offered.
(C) Existence of social supports, such as immediate family living in the same household.
(D) Language spoken.
(E) Number of prenatal care appointments attended.
(F) Occupation and place of employment.
(G) Race and ethnicity.
(H) Sexual orientation and gender identity.
(I) Type of health insurance coverage.
(J) Whether the pregnant person lived in a federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designated provider shortage area.
(d) The data on pregnancy-related deaths collected pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (c) shall be published, at least once every three years, after all of the following have occurred:
(1) The data has been aggregated by state regions, as defined by the State Department of Public Health, to ensure data reflects how regionalized care systems are or should be collaborating to improve maternal health outcomes, or other smaller regional sorting based on standard statistical methods for accurate dissemination of public health data without risking a confidentiality or other disclosure breach. The department may group data by geographic regions for the purposes of identifying clusters of pregnancy deaths.
(2) The data has been disaggregated by racial and ethnic identity.

SECTION 1.Article 4.7 (commencing with Section 123635) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
4.7.Maternal Mortality Review Committee
123635.

(a)The California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee under the State Department of Public Health is hereby renamed as the Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

(b)The committee shall be composed of a minimum of nine members, and shall include at least three members from the central valley and three members from the Los Angeles area.

(c)The purposes of the committee shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1)Identifying and reviewing all pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity.

(2)Investigating contributing factors to pregnancy-related deaths, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(A)Whether the medical provider played a role in the death.

(B)Whether the person whose death is being investigated had health insurance, and whether it was through a commercial insurance policy or the Medi-Cal program.

(C)Whether there were any clusters of health issues occurring locally.

(D)Whether there were any clusters of health issues occurring at the workplace of the person whose death is being investigated.

(3)Collecting and reviewing data from maternal death investigations and making recommendations about how to improve or streamline data collection and investigatory processes.

(d)The committee shall publish its findings to the public, and the findings shall also include recommendations on how to prevent severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality and how to reduce racial disparities.