Federal bill aims to expand access for maternal health services in New Hampshire

WASHINGTON — Proposed bipartisan legislation co-authored by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) would provide support to rural health care facilities in New Hampshire for urgent obstetric care.

“Regardless of where they live, expecting moms deserve access to high-quality care to protect their health and the health of their babies — during their pregnancy, during labor, and after they give birth,” Hassan said during a roundtable at Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth. The hospital has a birthing unit and could be eligible for grant funding.

Hassan has led efforts to ensure that new and expectant mothers have access to better health care. Earlier this year, she highlighted efforts to expand access to rural maternity care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

“I will keep working to get more rural Granite State moms the care that they need,” Hassan added in a statement released on Wednesday.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) are co-sponsors of the bill.

“I’m proud to join Sen. Hassan in leading this important bipartisan legislation to support moms and empower rural hospitals with the resources needed to provide quality care to women in their communities,” Britt said.

The Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act would help rural hospitals and doctors prepare to handle obstetric emergencies by creating training programs to help non-specialists respond to emergencies like labor and delivery.

The bill also provides federal grants for rural facilities to buy better equipment, to train for obstetric emergencies, and to develop a pilot program for telehealth services so doctors at rural facilities caring for an expecting or postpartum mother facing an emergency can quickly consult with maternal health care experts.

Eleven maternity wards have closed in New Hampshire in the last two decades, according to the statement. The median drive time to a labor and delivery unit has doubled to about 40 minutes in the Granite State, jeopardizing mothers' health and the health of babies in emergency situations.