S 380
Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act
Summary
Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act This bill creates and expands federal grant programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase capacity to provide emergency obstetric health services in rural areas or areas without practitioners or facilities specializing in obstetric services. Specifically, HRSA must establish a program for providing grants to certain hospitals or consortiums that include hospitals in rural areas or areas with maternal health care professional shortages for training, developing a workforce, and purchasing equipment relating to obstetric emergencies. In addition, the bill requires HRSA’s Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Capacity program to provide grants for training on emergency obstetric services for practitioners in rural health care facilities without dedicated obstetric units. HRSA must also establish a pilot program to provide grants to government entities for developing or improving telehealth access programs to support urgent maternal health care in rural facilities without a dedicated obstetric unit.
Bill status
- Status
- In committee
- Sponsor
- Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan [D-NH]
- Cosponsors
- 7
- Policy area
- Health
- Introduced
- 2025-02-04
- Latest action
- 2026-07-22: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee referrals
Recent actions
- 2026-03-19: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.
- 2025-02-04: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2025-02-04: Introduced in Senate