Rep. Gina H. Curry, a Democrat from Delaware county, is a founding member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. The group raises awareness about the health and safety of mothers and infants before, during, and after pregnancy.

The group highlights that black moms are two times as likely to die from pregnancy related issues. They say improving maternal health for all will counteract those statistics.

There are a plethora of legislative goals they promote around the issue. These range from letting mothers take blood pressure monitors home during pregnancy, to expanding licensing for doulas and midwives, to including postpartum depression screening in Medicaid health insurance plans.

Specifically on Bill Break, Curry talked about maternal health deserts. HB432 would require the Department of Health to identify maternal health deserts in the Commonwealth. Curry says knowing which geographic areas have the highest need could let the state better direct resources to these areas.

No concerns have been raised about the bill specifically. Curry noted that there is similar legislation for researching rural health deserts, but that she wants to make sure ALL maternal health deserts are identifying.