would expand access to maternal health services

By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni Record-Journal staff

The national maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was nearly three times higher than that for non-Hispanic women in 2020.

In Connecticut, state health officials reported that babies born to Black mothers were significantly more likely to die before their first birthday than babies born to white women in 2017. Babies born to Black mothers are also twice as likely as babies from white mothers to have a low birth weight, under six pounds, which can lead to severe health and development issues.

“In our state and in this nation, we have a maternal health crisis where Black birthing people are suffering consequences more than any other birthing population,” state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said testifying before the legislature’s Public Health Committee, March 14.

The committee hearing was held to discuss Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed Senate bill that would implement nu- merous statutes and programs to increase access to maternal health services.

SB 986 hopes to address these disparities by creating a license category for birth centers, establishing state certification processes for doulas and midwives and opening a universal nursing visitation program for new parents.

Licensed birth centers

Unlike a maternity ward in a hospital, birth centers are freestanding healthcare facilities licensed to provide prenatal, labor, delivery and postpartum care to persons with low-risk pregnancies, according to the bill. If passed, SB 986 would create a new license category to open more birthing centers throughout the state, said Juthani. “This will allow birth centers to fill both geographic gaps that may exist within our state and also provide lower cost and family-friendly opportunities for earning people to have less medicalized births in our state,” she said in her testimony.

The Connecticut Childbirth and Women’s Center is the only standalone birthing center in the state.