| Photo via Connecticut Women’s Services
HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont has signed Public Act 23-147 into law today. This new law he proposed earlier this year was approved unanimously in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The law will license free-standing birth centers and allow them to operate in Connecticut. It will be an alternative to traditional hospitals for low-risk pregnancies and deliveries to expand access and increase choices to high-quality maternal health services.
Specifically, this new law:
- Requires the Connecticut Department of Public Health to oversee the licensing of birth centers;
- Prohibits anyone from establishing or operating a birth center unless it obtains a license;
- Establishes a doula certification program administered by the Connecticut Department of Public Health; and
- Directs the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to design a statewide program for universal nurse home visiting, building on a pilot program in the Greater Bridgeport area that provides a population-level solution to offer care and services early in an infant’s life.
The governor said this new law is needed to fill geographic and financial gaps often preventing patients from receiving needed birthing care. It was also proposed in response to several pending requests submitted by hospitals to close their labor and delivery facilities. Additionally, it is about creating more choices for those planning to give birth and how they want to deliver.
“This new law will help combat gaps in access to maternal health care that are preventing patients from receiving the care they need,” Governor Lamont said. “These birth centers can open and operate independently, creating an alternative that makes accessing this essential care easier and more convenient and giving parents more choices on where to receive their birthing care. It is a moral imperative that we take actions to ensure safe delivery and add more choices for giving birth, no matter a family’s background.”
According to the Lamont administration, pregnancy-associated deaths have consistently increased among all races and age groups in recent years. The situation is even more dire among Black populations, which consistently see higher maternal mortality rates at national and state levels. Between 2015 and 2017, persons of color comprised 44.9% of those giving birth and 63.6% of all pregnancy-related deaths. This can be attributed to a lack of equitable access to healthcare resources, including providers.
Nationwide statistics find that birth centers save about $2,100 per infant-mother pair while decreasing the number of cesarean births. They have also been shown to increase vaginal births after cesarean deliveries and reduce preterm births.
“Childbirth is supposed to be a time of happiness – not a time when people are stressed about how they’re going to cover costs or gain access to safe and quality care,” Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said. “This new law is an opportunity to have birthing centers take maternal care to another level while at the same time helping birthing people in this very special moment of their lives.”
Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said no person should simply accept surviving their childbirth experiences as success. “By allowing free-standing birth centers, creating certification pathways for doulas, and designing a program for universal home visiting, we are working to create better experiences for Connecticut’s families,” she said.
–With Ricky Rillera/PDM
