BILL NUMBER: S6983
SPONSOR: BRISPORT
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospi-
tals and other facilities that provide perinatal care to implement an
evidence-based implicit bias program, to providing birthing parents with
written information regarding certain patient rights, and to including
information related to pregnancy on death certificates
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 adds a new title to article 25 of the public health law titled
"New York Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act".
Section 2 adds two new subdivisions to section 2803-n of the public
health law requiring hospitals to inform expectant mothers of their
rights, to provide information about how to file complaints if those
rights are violated, and to provide information regarding the hospital's
policies and procedures for contacting next of kin.
Section 3 adds a new paragraph to subdivision 4 of section 4141 of the
public health law requiring certificates of death to include information
about pregnancy status at the time of death.
Section 4 sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Every person is entitled to dignity and respect during and after preg-
nancy and childbirth. Patients should receive the best care possible
regardless of their race, gender, age, class, sexual orientation, disa-
bility, language proficiency, nationality, immigration status, or reli-
gion. However, for women of color, particularly Black women, the mater-
nal mortality rate remains three to four times higher than the rate for
Caucasian women. New York has a responsibility to decrease the substan-
tial number of preventable pregnancy-and childbirth-related deaths.
This legislation (i) requires hospitals and other facilities that
provide perinatal care to implement evidence-based implicit bias train-
ing programs; (ii) mandates additional data collection and publication
regarding severe maternal morbidity, disaggregated by race and ethnici-
ty; and (iii) requires hospitals and other facilities that provide peri-
natal care to make certain disclosures to expectant mothers regarding
their legal rights as well as relevant hospital policies and procedures.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: S8375
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S6983: 2803-n public health law, 4141 public health law, 4141(4) public health law