SENATOR ANWAR CELEBRATES FINAL PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION CREATING ADVISORY COMMITTEE STUDYING BETTER OUTCOMES FOR MATERNAL HEALTH

Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), the Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee, celebrated the Senate’s final passage of legislation that, once made law, will create an advisory study seeking to improve maternal health outcomes. The study will have dual focuses of improving perinatal mental health care services and reviewing making Connecticut hospitals more friendly to doulas, who perform non-medical support services during pregnancy and after birth.

The bill in question, House Bill 7214, “An Act Concerning Maternal Health,” passed the Senate by a unanimous 36-0 vote. It previously passed the House by a 138-3 tally, and with its final passage today now heads to Governor Lamont’s desk to be signed into law.

“We can always do more to review our current systems and find room for improvement, and too many pregnancies are marred by mental health issues and other crises that negatively impact families,” said Sen. Anwar. “I’m looking forward to the results of this study and working to improve the overall health of our state. I’m excited to see this bill become law.”

House Bill 7214 requires the Commissioner of Public Health to convene an advisory committee to study and make recommendations regarding improving perinatal mental health care services in Connecticut and making Connecticut hospitals more doula-friendly for pregnant patients. The study will review more than a dozen factors including perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, treatments, reducing/removing racial and ethnic disparities in treatment of such disorders and other factors involving mental health care.

It will also review current doula policies in hospitals, as well as challenges to their increased utilization, study of doula-friendly policies, doulas’ impact on maternal health rates.

The advisory committee will be built of individuals including persons with experience with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders including individuals, caregivers or advocates, as well as a care organization representative, a registered nurse, a pediatrician, obstetrician, psychologist, psychiatrist and social worker, a doula, a midwife, a lactation consultant and more. Their findings would be due to the legislature in early 2026, with a final report due no later than 2027.