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