Bill to identify causes of maternal deaths clears Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY – After winning unanimous approval in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and passing the full Senate, a bill to help determine the causes of maternal deaths in Oklahoma is now one step closer to the governor’s desk. Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, and Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, are authors of House Bill 2152. Once signed into law, the bill would modify the membership of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) and make more data on maternal deaths available to the committee.

“Oklahoma’s maternal death rate was recently reported at 31 per 100,000 live births,” Dossett said. “With improved data, we can develop strategies to reduce maternal deaths in our state.”

"Maternal mortality is unfortunately a serious issue that many Oklahoma families and health care providers are still struggling to understand," Roe said. "House Bill 2152 is a prime example of working across the aisle to improve the lives of all Oklahomans, and I'm glad to see strong support for the bill from both chambers."

HB 2152 will:

• Improve the efficiency of the MMRC by moving from 25 members to 11.
• Require hospitals to make a reasonable effort to report all maternal deaths to the Chief Medical Examiner within 72 hours of the death.
• Require investigation of such reported deaths.
• Allow the Chief Medical Examiner to share investigative results back with the MMRC.

The legislation was developed with input from the MMRC, the Oklahoma State Medical Association, the Oklahoma Hospital Association, the Oklahoma Maternal Health Task Force, the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Oklahoma section.

The measure now returns to the House for final consideration.

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For more information, contact: 
Sen. Jo Anna Dossett: (405) 521-5624 or JoAnna.Dossett@oksenate.gov
Rep. Cynthia Roe: (405) 557-7365 or Cynthia.Roe@okhouse.gov