Bill > HB672

This bill establishes the Georgia Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, which requires all perinatal facilities (hospitals, clinics, or birthing centers providing pregnancy-related care) to implement comprehensive implicit bias training programs for healthcare professionals. The training must address unconscious biases, cultural barriers, historical exclusion, and health inequities, and includes components such as identifying personal biases, understanding power dynamics, improving cross-cultural communication, and learning about reproductive justice. Healthcare professionals must complete an initial training and then take refresher courses every two years. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Georgia Department of Public Health collect and publish data on severe maternal morbidity and pregnancy-related deaths at least every three years, with the data aggregated by state regions and disaggregated by racial and ethnic identity. The bill defines key terms like "implicit bias" as unconscious prejudices or stereotypes that operate below conscious awareness and aims to improve maternal health outcomes by addressing systemic biases in healthcare settings.

Health and Social Services

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70973