Bill > HR8383

This bill, the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, aims to improve obstetric emergency care in rural areas. It amends the Public Health Service Act to create a program that trains practitioners in rural health care facilities without dedicated obstetric units to provide emergency obstetric services during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or the postpartum period. The bill also establishes a grant program to help rural hospitals and critical access hospitals integrate obstetric readiness training, build workforce capacity, and purchase necessary equipment to manage obstetric emergencies. Additionally, it creates a pilot program to support the development of statewide or regional maternal health care telehealth access programs in rural non-obstetric settings of care. Finally, the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on maternity ward closures and regional patterns of patient transport, and to examine models for regional partnerships for rural obstetric care.