WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Tina Smith (D-MN) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to support rural health care facilities in providing urgent obstetric care.
“No pregnant woman should struggle to access quality, affordable health care they need because of their zip code,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will provide targeted support so that health care facilities in rural New Hampshire and rural communities across the country can get the equipment, training, and resources that they need, and is an important step in ensuring that, no matter where they live, Granite State women can access high quality care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.”
“The closure of labor and delivery units in rural Maine and throughout the nation is an urgent issue that threatens the health and safety of mothers and babies,” said Senator Collins. “By creating new opportunities to improve obstetric readiness in rural communities through skills training, workforce development, and telehealth partnerships, this bipartisan legislation would help reduce care gaps and better ensure that more rural Maine communities have access to the maternal care they need.”
“Alabama women deserve access to high-quality care throughout their pregnancy journeys, no matter their zip code,” said Senator Britt. “The Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act would equip rural hospitals with the tools, training, and resources to deliver urgent obstetric care throughout Alabama. I’m proud to join Senators Hassan, Collins, and Smith in reintroducing this critical, bipartisan legislation to support moms and families across our nation.”
“Regardless of where new and expecting moms live, they should be able to access high-quality health care in their community. But right now, too many women in rural areas don’t have a nearby hospital with adequate labor and delivery services,” said Senator Smith. “I’ve heard from Minnesotans who have to drive hours, sometimes in dangerous conditions like Minnesota snowstorms, just to get to care. It is time to invest in preventing these closures that keep rural families from accessing the quality care they need.”
The Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act would help rural hospitals and doctors prepare to handle the obstetric emergencies that come through their doors by:
Last year, Senator Hassan announced the introduction of this legislation during a roundtable at Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth, New Hampshire—which has a birthing unit and could be eligible for a grant through Senator Hassan’s bill. Eleven maternity wards have closed in New Hampshire in the last two decades, and in recent years the median driving time to a labor & delivery unit has doubled to about 40 minutes—which can jeopardize a woman’s health and the health of her baby in emergency situations.
Senator Hassan has led efforts to ensure that new and expecting mothers have access to high-quality health care. Senator Hassan and the New Hampshire Congressional delegation also had previously announced nearly $1 million in federal funding for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to strengthen maternal health care in the North Country. Thanks to Senator Hassan’s bipartisan legislation to improve mental health for new mothers, the Department of Health and Human Services launched the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health in 2023 and Senators Hassan and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) also previously introduced the Healthy Moms and Babies Act to strengthen health care for women before, after, and during childbirth.
Full text of this legislation is available here.
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