Bill > S4079

This bill, the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, aims to improve obstetric emergency care by establishing several key provisions: 1. It amends the Public Health Service Act to require the development of an evidence-based program to train practitioners in rural health care facilities without dedicated obstetric units on how to provide emergency obstetric services during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or the postpartum period. 2. It creates a new grant program within the Public Health Service Act to provide funding to eligible rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals to integrate obstetric readiness training, build workforce capacity, and purchase equipment necessary to manage obstetric emergencies. 3. It establishes a pilot program within the Public Health Service Act to support the provision of urgent maternal health care in rural facilities without a dedicated obstetric unit, including through the development of statewide or regional maternal health care telehealth access programs. 4. It requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study mapping maternity ward closures, examining regional patterns of patient transport, and exploring models for regional partnerships for rural obstetric care. The overall goal of the bill is to improve access to emergency obstetric services and maternal health care in rural areas by enhancing training, equipment, and telehealth capabilities for healthcare providers.