The Momnibus: Perinatal Workforce Act

Introduced by Representative Gwen Moore and Senator Tammy Baldwin

Background

One driving force of the U.S. maternal health crisis is a lack of access to maternity care, and to culturally congruent maternity care and support specifically. Over 35% of U.S. counties, 1,104 in total, are “maternity care deserts,” leaving more than 2.3 million women without access to a single birthing facility or obstetric clinician.¹ Women in maternity care deserts are more likely to have chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension than women in counties with full access to maternity care,² putting them at greater risk for pregnancy complications and pregnancy-related death.³

One solution to this glaring shortage is to grow and diversify the perinatal health workforce. The Perinatal Workforce Act makes historic investments to increase the number of maternity care providers and non-clinical perinatal health workers who offer culturally congruent care and support during and after pregnancy.

For more information or to add your organization’s endorsement to the list below, please email Momnibus@mail.house.gov

Bill Summary

The Perinatal Workforce Act will:

  1. Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to (1) provide guidance to states on the promotion of racially, ethnically, and professionally diverse maternity care teams and (2) study how culturally congruent maternity care promotes better outcomes for moms, especially in communities of color.
  2. Provide funding to establish and scale programs that will grow and diversify the maternal health clinical and non-clinical workforce, increasing the number of nurses, midwives, physician assistants, doulas, and other perinatal health workers who moms can trust throughout their pregnancies, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period.
  3. Study the barriers that prevent women – particularly from underserved communities – from entering maternity care professions and receiving equitable compensation.

Click HERE for a printable one-pager on the bill.

Cosponsors

Click HERE for the current list of House cosponsors and HERE for the current list of Senate cosponsors.

Endorsements

The Perinatal Workforce Act is endorsed by the following organizations:

  1. 1,000 Days, an initiative of FHI Solutions
  2. 4Kira4Moms
  3. A Better Balance
  4. ACA Consumer Advocacy 
  5. African American Breastfeeding Network
  6. African Heritage PA Caucus
  7. Alliance to End Hunger
  8. American Academy of Family Physicians
  9. American Academy of Nursing
  10. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
  11. American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
  12. American Association of Birth Centers
  13. American Association of Colleges of Nursing
  14. American Association of Nurse Practitioners
  15. American College of Nurse-Midwives
  16. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  17. American Heart Association
  18. American Muslim Health Professionals
  19. American Nurses Association
  20. American Psychological Association
  21. American Public Health Association
  22. Ancient Song Doula Services
  23. Anxiety and Depression Association of America
  24. Arika Trim Foundation
  25. Association of Black Cardiologists
  26. Association of Black Women Physicians
  27. Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE) 
  28. Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
  29. Association of Physician Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology
  30. Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN)
  31. Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
  32. Baby Cafe USA
  33. Babyscripts
  34. Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative
  35. Big Cities Health Coalition
  36. Birthing Beautiful Communities
  37. Birthing Project USA
  38. Black Mamas Village
  39. Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association
  40. Black Women Birthing Justice, Inc
  41. Bloom Maternal Health
  42. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA)
  43. Blue Shield of California
  44. Bobbie
  45. Boston Medical Center
  46. Breastfeed Durham
  47. Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities
  48. BreastfeedLA
  49. California Breastfeeding Coalition
  50. CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association)
  51. Catholic Health Association of the United States
  52. Catholics for Choice
  53. Center for American Progress
  54. Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
  55. Champaign County Health Care Consumers
  56. Changent (Child First & Nurse-Family Partnership)
  57. Children's Health Fund
  58. Cityblock Health
  59. Commonsense Childbirth Inc.
  60. Community Catalyst
  61. Deans' Nursing Policy Coalition
  62. DONA International
  63. Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project
  64. EcoMadres
  65. Engage: Promoting Women’s Economic Security
  66. EverThrive Illinois
  67. Every Mother Counts
  68. Families USA
  69. Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce
  70. Federation of American Hospitals
  71. Fibroid Foundation
  72. First Focus Campaign for Children
  73. Futures Without Violence
  74. GA Maternal Fetal Health Alliance
  75. GLO Preemies
  76. Glow Birth & Body and The Birth Deck
  77. Grow Midwives, LLC
  78. Hackensack Meridian Health
  79. Harambee Doula Care & Holistic Services
  80. Health Tech for Medicaid (HT4M)
  81. HealthConnect One
  82. Healthy Birth Day Inc.
  83. HealthyWomen
  84. Heluna Health
  85. Hustle Mommies
  86. Ingram Screening, LLC
  87. International OCD Foundation
  88. Lamaze International
  89. Lifeline for Families Center and Lifeline for Moms Program at UMass Chan Medical School
  90. Living Well Black
  91. Luna Tierra Birth Center
  92. Mainline Maternity Care
  93. Majaica
  94. Malone Center
  95. March of Dimes
  96. Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research
  97. Maternal Applications of Technology for Community Health (MATCH) Coalition
  98. Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
  99. Maternity Care Coalition
  100. Melinated Moms
  101. Mental Health America
  102. Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
  103. Mom Congres
  104. Mom.ME.
  105. Mom2Mom Global
  106. Momma’s Village Fayetteville
  107. Moms Clean Air Force
  108. MomsRising
  109. Most Beautiful W.O.M.B. Inc
  110. Mothering Justice
  111. Mothers Out Front
  112. Narrative Nation Inc.
  113. National Alliance to impact the Social Determinants of Health (NASDOH)
  114. National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
  115. National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
  116. National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
  117. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
  118. National Association of School Nurses
  119. National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Chicago-Metropolitan Chapter
  120. National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
  121. National Health Law Program
  122. National Healthy Start Association
  123. National League for Nursing
  124. National Medical Association
  125. National Medical Fellowships, Inc.,
  126. National Organization for Women
  127. National Organization for Women - Hollywood Chapter
  128. National Perinatal Task Force
  129. National Urban League
  130. National WIC Association
  131. National Women's Law Center
  132. Nemours Children's Health
  133. NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
  134. New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
  135. Northeast Arkansas Doulas
  136. Nurses for America
  137. Nzuri Doula Services
  138. Ob Hospitalist Group
  139. Once Upon A Preemie, Inc
  140. PA Education Association
  141. Pace University
  142. Partners In Health
  143. Poppy Seed Health
  144. Postpartum Support International (PSI)
  145. Pregnancy Justice
  146. Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
  147. Prolacta Bioscience
  148. Reach Healthcare - Happy Mama
  149. riskLD
  150. Roots and River Wellness
  151. Sista Midwife Productions
  152. Sister to Sister International, Inc.
  153. SisterReach
  154. SisterReach Illinois
  155. Six Dimensions
  156. SMART Recovery
  157. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
  158. Society for Women's Health Research
  159. Sojourners
  160. Star Legacy Foundation
  161. The Arc of the United States
  162. The Children's Partnership
  163. The Collaborative
  164. The Kennedy Forum
  165. The National Women's Health Network
  166. The Root Cause Coalition
  167. The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
  168. Third Way
  169. Trust for America's Health
  170. U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
  171. Union for Reform Judaism
  172. United Against Inequities in Disease
  173. United Church of Christ Justice and Local Church Ministries
  174. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
  175. Urban Baby Beginnings
  176. Urban Mommy Inc
  177. Vitality Wellness Solutions PLLC
  178. What to Expect Project
  179. Wolomi
  180. ZERO TO THREE

 

 

1 March of Dimes: Nowhere To Go

2 March of Dimes: Nowhere To Go

3 CDC: Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization