MATERNAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT BILL

Running head: MATERNAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT BILL 1
The Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 proposal
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Executive Summary
The paper focuses on the dire need to implement the Maternal Health Quality Improvement
Act of 2019 proposal. This legislation is essential to improve the health of pregnant and
postpartum women, specifically those experiencing health disparities due to ethnic and racial
diversities. The implementation of this act can reduce maternal mortality rates to a significant
extent. The bill also targets healthcare settings such as hospitals, health experts and nurses by
training and providing adequate guidance to update the existing delivery practices for
improved delivery outcomes. Lastly, this paper discusses the impact of the bill on the
patients, healthcare setting and the community as a whole.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Discussion..................................................................................................................................4
The Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019.......................................................4
Significance of maternal and obstetric healthcare.................................................................5
Influence of the legislation on nursing...................................................................................6
Impact on different sectors.....................................................................................................6
Reflection on the issue...........................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The paper focuses on the legislation, The Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act
of 2019. Authored by Congressman Eliot L. Engel, this legislation has passed the Energy and
Commerce Health Subcommittee and is awaiting confirmation from the full committee. It
aims to address the current maternal healthcare crisis in the country and improve health
policies for women from a different racial or ethnic group. This paper discusses the key
features of this legislation, the difficulties faced by women in healthcare, the effect of
maternal health care in nursing practices and its impact on patients, healthcare systems and
communities along with a reflection on the issue.
Discussion
The Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019
The Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 aims to implement grants
regarding improving maternal telehealth, rural obstetric networks and maternal health care
training programs in rural areas. It also consists of provisions for maternal care, including
funds for quality perinatal care programs, promotion of outstanding practices, and creating
awareness among the healthcare experts on implicit bias (Congress.gov, 2020). The rising
mortality and complications associated with maternal health need utmost speculation and
suitable intervention (Nytimes.com, 2020). The bill mainly aims to motivate physicians in
rural areas of the country through incentives to practice good quality maternal health
treatment. The primary focus of this legislation is in rural areas because women in these
regions are twice more prone to health disparities as compared to urban women, with 700 US
women dying each year due to complications in pregnancy or delivery (GovTrack.us, 2020).

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The legislation also targets the provision of grants for collaborative programs, which
aim to improve the delivery practices, minimize maternal mortality and provide quality care
after delivery to both the mother and the newborn (Congress.gov, 2020).
The critical roles of this bill can be broadly summarised as follows:
 Educate and train health experts in professional in obstetric care for expecting
women.
 Recognize and incorporate efficient tools of delivery and care during pregnancy, such
as home-based services.
 Summon issues such as inequity in delivery outcomes, specifically in women, belong
from diverse ethnic groups.
 To expand the access of modern maternal healthcare technologies to rural households
(The Washington Times, 2020).
 To incorporate individual obstetric care units in hospitals lacking it for enhanced
fitnesses of the mother and the infant.
Significance of maternal and obstetric healthcare
Optimum care during pregnancy is an essential pre-requite in rural settings where
women remain vulnerable to maternal mortalities. Improvements in nutritional habits and
access to low-cost and high output services (Nytimes.com, 2020). Supplements such as
vitamin A, folic or iron for postpartum females and infants is of primary importance. The
need for adequate antenatal care is vital for early detection and treatment of complications for
improved outcomes. Access to requisite doses of vaccines timely is essential for the proper
development of the infant (Kilpatrick et al., 2014).

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Influence of the legislation on nursing
The proposed legislation has a significant influence on nursing practices and modifies
the roles of nurses and midwives in rural settings. The legislation aims to provide
comprehensive training and guidance to the nurses to implement advanced and refined
healthcare. The nurses shall be required to upgrade their existing expertise to meet the
modern requirements of the issue. Specialised training to skill the nurses for mental support
to the mother during pregnancy will also be incorporated. This training targets to skill the
nurses to deal with psychological issues such as anxiety and perinatal stress. Nursing
practices may also improve to address concerns regarding implicit bias, social isolation and
access to essential nutrition (Kenner, 2019).
Impact on different sectors
The implementation of this legislation will influence several sectors apart from nursing,
such as the patients, healthcare systems and the community as a whole. Each of these impacts
are as follows:
1. Impact on patients: The confirmation of the bill will have a significant improvement
in the healths of expecting women and their infants. Access to modern types of
equipment will ease the difficulties of these women during pregnancy and provide
enhanced care opportunities (Henderson et al., 2014).
2. Impact on healthcare units: The bill also suggests reforms in the settings of healthcare
systems such as hospitals, nursing homes and delivery units. The bill makes setting up
of separate obstetric units in each hospital compulsory and provides funds for the
same. It also makes training and guidance on modern and improved healthcare
practices mandatory for all health experts, including doctors, nurses and medical
students (Glance et al., 2014).

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3. Impact on the community: Implementation of the will result in a decline in the overall
maternal deaths of the country. It will enable an equitable share of obstetric facilities
and reduce implicit bias in the country. The bill will enhance the long-term
development of the community as a whole (Munn et al., 2016).
Reflection on the issue
The grant of this bill will be a milestone in the control of maternal mortality numbers.
According to the WHO, nearly 700 US maternal deaths are caused due to inaccessibility of
adequate resources, which I believe will reduce considerably with the implementation of this
legislation. The proposed bill will provide low cost, high input facilities during pregnancy for
a healthy delivery outcome. Overall, it will prove highly beneficial for the progress of the
country.
Conclusion
Lastly, to conclude, maternal mortality has a direct correlation to bias on the grounds
of ethnic origin and race in the United States. The implication of this legislation will reduce
the annual morbidity and mortality relating to pregnancy and will enhance the practices and
overall health of the woman.

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References
Congress.gov. (2020). Text - H.R.4995 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Maternal Health
Quality Improvement Act of 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4995/text
Glance, L. G., Dick, A. W., Glantz, J. C., Wissler, R. N., Qian, F., Marroquin, B. M., ... &
Kellermann, A. L. (2014). Rates of major obstetrical complications vary almost
fivefold among US hospitals. Health Affairs, 33(8), 1330-1336.
GovTrack.us. (2020). Details for H.R. 4995: Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of
2019 - GovTrack.us. Retrieved 10 February 2020, from
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr4995/details
Henderson, Z. T., Suchdev, D. B., Abe, K., Johnston, E. O., & Callaghan, W. M. (2014).
Perinatal quality collaboratives: improving care for mothers and infants. Journal of
Women's Health, 23(5), 368-372. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2014.4744
Kenner, C. (2019). Comprehensive neonatal nursing care. Springer Publishing Company.
Kilpatrick, S. J., Berg, C., Bernstein, P., Bingham, D., Delgado, A., Callaghan, W. M., ... &
Nacht, A. (2014). Standardized severe maternal morbidity review: rationale and
process. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 43(4), 403-408.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1552-6909.12478
Munn, A. C., Newman, S. D., Mueller, M., Phillips, S. M., & Taylor, S. N. (2016). The
impact in the United States of the baby-friendly hospital initiative on early infant
health and breastfeeding outcomes. Breastfeeding Medicine, 11(5), 222-230.
https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2015.0135

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Nytimes.com. (2020). Huge Racial Disparities Found in Deaths Linked to Pregnancy.
Retrieved 15 February 2020, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/health/pregnancy-deaths-.html
Nytimes.com. (2020). Reducing Maternal Mortality. Retrieved 15 February 2020, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/well/family/reducing-maternal-mortality.html
The Washington Times, T. (2020). D.C. Council seeks to lower maternal mortality rate in
District. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/18/dc-council-seeks-lower-
maternal-mortality-rate-dis