Yesterday, Rep. Lauren Underwood and Sen. Elizabeth Warren host a discussion on their new legislation "Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act"

According to the summary of the bill, The Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act Would “dedicate resources to combat the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic by:  Improving Data Collection, Research, and Surveillance Initiatives. The bill requires the CDC to coordinate, collect, and publicly post data related to COVID-19 and pregnancy disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and state. The bill also authorizes funding for CDC’s pregnancy surveillance programs and the National Institutes of Health’s research programs. It also mandates CDC tribal consultation and confer with urban Indian organizations, in collaboration with the Indian Health Service.  Ensuring the Inclusion of Pregnant People in Vaccine and Therapeutic Development for COVID-19. This bill directs the NIH to ensure that at least one COVID-19 vaccine is developed and made available for use in pregnancy and lactation. It adds reporting and data collection requirements for COVID-19 therapeutic and vaccine developers regarding their product’s use in pregnancy and lactation. And it emphasizes the inclusion of pregnant people, including those from underrepresented populations, in clinical trials when safe and appropriate.  Improving Public Health Information and Communication for Pregnant People. The bill directs the CDC to undertake a robust public health education effort aimed at informing pregnant people, their employers, and their providers about the latest evidence-based health information. It also requires the Secretary of Labor to issue an emergency temporary standard for pregnant workers and all workers.  Ensuring Lasting Maternal Health Care and Birthing Experience Improvements. The bill defines anti-racist, culturally congruent, and respectful maternity care and seeks to improve the provision of this type of care. It creates a Task Force on Birthing Experience and Safe, Respectful Maternity Care to develop federal recommendations to ensure the provision of quality, nondiscriminatory maternity care and the improvement of maternal health outcomes during the COVID-19 public health emergency. It also mandates a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency to assess the delivery of maternal care during the pandemic”

You can watch their discussion below: