Bill > S2358

This bill, the Rhode Island Maternal Health Improvement and Equity Act of 2026, aims to create lasting statewide support for maternal health by establishing a new chapter in Rhode Island law and appropriating $2,700,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027 to implement a maternal health strategic plan. The act acknowledges existing disparities in maternal health outcomes and builds upon a federal Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) grant awarded to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) to address these issues. Key provisions include the creation of a seven-member Rhode Island maternal health advisory board to oversee the strategic plan's implementation, make recommendations for improving care, review data, and advise RIDOH on data modernization, workforce development, and grant programs. The bill also mandates the establishment of a maternal health data and surveillance unit to monitor maternal morbidity and mortality, integrate social and environmental factors into data analysis, and produce annual reports, and a maternal health workforce development program to expand training and support for midwives, doulas, and community birth workers, with a focus on underserved areas. Furthermore, it authorizes competitive grants to community-based organizations for services like prenatal navigation, doula support, transportation assistance, and postpartum mental health programs. The act also requires RIDOH to submit a maternal health sustainability plan in its budget requests starting in fiscal year 2029 and specifies how the appropriated funds will be allocated to these various initiatives, emphasizing that these state funds are intended to supplement, not replace, federal MHI funds.

Budget and Finance

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