Bill > S05184

This bill establishes comprehensive protocols and requirements for healthcare facilities in New York State regarding stillbirths, focusing on improving medical, emotional, and research-related approaches to handling these traumatic events. The legislation mandates that healthcare facilities develop detailed procedures for managing stillbirths, including assigning a primary physician to communicate with the family, creating a bereavement checklist, providing one-on-one nursing care, offering sensitive psychological support, and giving families options for memory-making and grieving. Additionally, the bill requires healthcare facilities to collect extensive medical data about each stillbirth, such as maternal health history, potential medical complications, and physical characteristics of the fetus, and establish a confidential statewide database to analyze this information. The primary goals are to provide more compassionate care for families experiencing a stillbirth and to support research aimed at understanding and potentially preventing these tragic events. The bill requires the health commissioner to report findings to the governor and legislature within five years, including potential recommendations for future legislative actions, with the ultimate aim of improving stillbirth prevention and support for affected families.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5184