[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 380 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 525
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 380
To improve obstetric emergency care.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 4, 2025
Ms. Hassan (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Britt, Ms. Smith, Mrs.
Capito, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Coons, and Mr. Justice) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
July 28, 2026
Reported by Mr. Cassidy, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve obstetric emergency care.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Obstetrics Readiness
Act''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. OBSTETRIC EMERGENCY TRAINING PROGRAM.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Section 330O of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254c-21) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) in subsection (a)--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``;
and'' and inserting a semicolon;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the
period and inserting ``; and''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(5) developing, and facilitating access to, an
evidence-based program to train practitioners in rural health
care facilities without dedicated obstetric units to provide
emergency obstetric services during pregnancy, labor, delivery,
or the postpartum period, including training on how to prepare
for, identify, stabilize, and safely transfer, as appropriate
and within the scope of practice of an individual practitioner,
a woman experiencing labor, delivery, obstetric hemorrhage,
severe hypertension, cardiac conditions, perinatal mental
health conditions, substance use, sepsis, or other conditions,
as appropriate.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as
subsections (d) and (e), respectively;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(c) Training Program for Eligible Practitioners in Rural
Health Care Facilities.--A training program described in subsection
(a)(5) shall include an assessment of obstetric training needs for
rural health care facilities without dedicated obstetric units. In
developing the training program, a recipient of a grant under such
subsection shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) work in consultation with at least one
representative from a national medical society that has
experience or expertise in rural health care delivery in each
of the fields of gynecology and obstetrics, emergency medicine,
family medicine, and anesthesiology; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) facilitate access to obstetric readiness
training via regional training partnerships and technical
assistance to rural health care facilities.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by
adding at the end the following: ``In addition to amounts
appropriated under the previous sentence, for grants for the
purpose described in subsection (a)(5), there are authorized to
be appropriated $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026
through 2028''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. GRANT FUNDING FOR EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 330A-2 the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>``SEC. 330A-3. PROGRAM OF SUPPORT FOR OBSTETRIC
SERVICES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants,
contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to integrate
obstetric readiness training curriculum into rural health care
settings, build workforce capacity, and purchase equipment necessary to
manage obstetric emergencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(b) Use of Funds.--A recipient of funds under this
section shall use such funds for the purpose described in subsection
(a), which may include any of the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) Purchasing or providing equipment and
technical assistance to train practitioners who are not
specialized in obstetrics in preparing for, identifying,
stabilizing, and transferring, as appropriate and within the
scope of practice of the practitioner, individuals experiencing
obstetric emergencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) Purchasing or providing equipment necessary
to prepare for, identify, stabilize, or transfer, as
appropriate, individuals experiencing obstetric
emergencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) Developing and carrying out protocols for
transfer of patients to other facilities and network engagement
with other facilities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(4) Hiring additional personnel or paying the
salaries of personnel.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(5) Establishing training opportunities to
enable non-obstetric health professionals to gain exposure to,
and expertise in, the delivery of obstetric services, including
through clinical rotations, fellowships, or cross-training
clinicians in other specialties.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(6) Enabling clinical educators to coordinate,
develop, and implement comprehensive interdisciplinary
trainings, including team-based simulation training for
providers who may need to respond to an obstetric
emergency.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(c) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under this section, an entity shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) be--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) a rural hospital, critical access
hospital (as determined under section 1820(c)(2) of the
Social Security Act), or a rural emergency hospital (as
defined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of the Social Security
Act) that is located in a maternity care health
professional target area or a rural area (as defined by
the Secretary); or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) a consortium of 3 entities that
includes at least 2 entities described in subparagraph
(A); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) agree to carry out the program described in
subsection (a), in coordination with other federally funded
maternal and child health programs, to the extent practicable,
and in consultation with other maternal and child health
programs in the same geographic area.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(d) Definitions.--In this section--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) the term `maternity care health professional
target area' means a primary care health professional shortage
area that is experiencing a shortage of maternity health care
professionals, as identified under section 332(k);
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) the term `rural area' has the meaning given
such term by the Federal Office of Rural Health
Policy.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this
section, there is authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for the
period of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR TELECONSULTATION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 254b et seq.), is amended by inserting after section 330A-3, as
added by section 3, the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>``SEC. 330A-4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR TELECONSULTATION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and
in consultation with the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, shall award grants or cooperative agreements to
States, political subdivisions of States, and Indian Tribes and Tribal
organizations (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act) to support the
provision of urgent maternal health care in rural facilities without a
dedicated obstetric unit, including by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) supporting the development of statewide or
regional maternal health care telehealth access programs;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) supporting the improvement of existing
statewide or regional maternal health care telehealth access
programs described in subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(b) Statewide or Regional Maternal Health Care
Telehealth Access Programs.--A maternal health care telehealth access
program described in this section, with respect to which an award under
subsection (a) may be used, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) be a statewide or regional network of
maternal health care teams that provide urgent support to rural
non-obstetric settings of care;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) support and further develop organized State
or regional networks of maternal health care teams to provide
urgent consultative support to rural non-obstetric settings of
care;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) conduct an assessment of urgent maternal
health consultation needs among providers in rural non-
obstetric settings of care;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(4) provide assurances that the physicians
responsive to the tele-consultation line are credentialed
within their employing facility and can provide consultation
where the patient is receiving care consistent with State
requirements to provide care to individuals experiencing labor,
delivery, obstetric hemorrhage, severe hypertension in
pregnancy and postpartum, cardiac conditions related to or
exacerbated by pregnancy, perinatal mental health conditions,
substance use during pregnancy or the postpartum period, sepsis
during pregnancy or after pregnancy end, or other conditions,
as appropriate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(5) provide rapid statewide or regional clinical
telephone or telehealth consultations when requested between
the maternal care teams and providers in rural emergency non-
obstetric settings; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(6) provide information to health care providers
about available maternal health services for people in the
community and assist with referrals to specialty care and
community or behavioral health resources.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(c) Reporting.--An entity receiving an award under this
section shall submit a report to the Secretary, in such manner and
containing such information as the Secretary may require, not later
than 18 months after initial receipt of the grant.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this
section, there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the
period of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. STUDY ON OBSTETRIC UNITS IN RURAL AREAS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) conduct a study that maps maternity ward
closures and regional patterns of patient transport and
examines models for regional partnerships for rural obstetric
care; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, submit to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee
on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and
Workforce of the House of Representatives, a report on the
results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act''.
SEC. 2. RURAL OBSTETRIC MEDICAL EMERGENCY TRAINING.
Section 330A-2 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-1b)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
``(3) develop a model for maternal health care
collaboration between health care settings to improve access to
care, including stabilizing prenatal care, labor care,
birthing, and postpartum care services during obstetric
emergencies, in areas described in subsection (a) that do not
have specialty maternity care or dedicated obstetric units,
which may include the use of telehealth;''; and
(B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows:
``(4) provide training for professionals in areas described
in subsection (a) that do not have specialty maternity care or
dedicated obstetric units, including providing training in
stabilizing prenatal care, labor care, birthing, and postpartum
care during obstetric emergencies;'';
(C) in paragraph (5), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(D) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) develop obstetric readiness programs, in areas
described in subsection (a) that do not have specialty
maternity care or dedicated obstetric units, that provide
technical assistance necessary to provide stabilizing prenatal
care, labor care, birthing, and postpartum care services during
obstetric emergencies.'';
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking
``Report'' and inserting ``Reports'';
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``2026,'' and inserting ``2028, and every 2
years thereafter,'';
(C) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``(6)'' and inserting
``(7)''; and
(ii) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(D) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) a study that maps maternity ward closures and
regional patterns of patient transport and examines models for
regional partnerships for rural obstetric care.'';
(3) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f);
(4) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Allocation.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary shall award a total of not less
than $2,000,000 per fiscal year in grants or cooperative
agreements under this section to eligible entities for purposes
of carrying out activities described in paragraph (3), (4), or
(7) of subsection (b).
``(2) Limitation.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a
fiscal year unless the amount made available to carry out this
section for such fiscal year exceeds the amount appropriated to
carry out this section for fiscal year 2026.''; and
(5) in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by inserting ``,
and $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032''
before the period at the end.
SEC. 3. SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY OBSTETRIC MEDICAL SERVICES.
Section 330O of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-21)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A) by inserting ``and training'' after ``best
practices'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) by inserting ``evidence-based''
before ``best practices''; and
(II) by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(iii) in subparagraph (C), by adding
``and'' after the semicolon at the end; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) evidence-based best practices for health care
professionals in rural health care settings that do not
have specialty maternity care or dedicated obstetric
units to provide stabilizing prenatal care, labor care,
birthing, and postpartum care services during obstetric
emergencies;''; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, including in
rural health care settings that do not have specialty
maternity care or dedicated obstetric units'' before
the semicolon; and
(2) in subsection (d), by inserting ``, and $17,300,000 for
each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032'' before the period at
the end.
SEC. 4. TELEHEALTH NETWORK; TELEHEALTH RESOURCE CENTERS GRANT PROGRAM;
EXPANDING CAPACITY FOR HEALTH OUTCOMES.
(a) Telehealth Network; Telehealth Resource Centers Grant
Program.--Section 330I of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254c-14) is amended--
(1) in subsection (h)(1), by amending subparagraph (B) to
read as follows:
``(B) Services.--The eligible entity proposes to
use Federal funds made available through such a grant
to develop plans for, or to establish, telehealth
networks that provide mental health care, public health
services, long-term care, home care, preventive care,
case management services, urgent care, prenatal care,
labor care, birthing care, or postpartum care.''; and
(2) in subsection (q), by striking ``2021 through 2025''
and inserting ``2027 through 2031''.
(b) Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes.--Section 330N(k) of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-20(k)) is amended by striking
``2022 through 2026'' and inserting ``2027 through 2031''.
Calendar No. 525
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 380
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve obstetric emergency care.
_______________________________________________________________________
July 28, 2026
Reported with an amendment