R 176 |
2019 -- H 5929 Enacted 03/28/2019 |
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
CELEBRATING THE WEEK OF MARCH 22ND THROUGH MARCH 28TH, 2019, AS "WORLD DOULA WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Ranglin-Vassell, Williams, Cassar, Kislak, and Filippi |
Date Introduced: March 28, 2019 |
WHEREAS, In the United States, maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the |
developed world and increased by twenty-six and six tenths percent between 2000 and 2014; and |
WHEREAS, Of the four million American women who give birth each year, about seven |
hundred suffer fatal complications during pregnancy, while giving birth, or during the postpartum |
period, and an additional fifty thousand are severely injured; and |
WHEREAS, It is estimated that half of the maternal mortalities in the United States could |
be prevented and half of the maternal injuries in the United States could be reduced or eliminated |
with better care; and |
WHEREAS, Doulas are professionals trained to care for and support families during the |
pregnancy, labor, and birth by providing emotional, physical, and instructional support with |
traditional comfort measures and educational materials, as well as assistance during the transition |
to parenthood in the initial postpartum period through home visits; and |
WHEREAS, Birth doulas respect a family’s individual beliefs and needs. A growing |
body of evidence indicates that stress from racism and racial discrimination results in conditions - |
- including hypertension and pre-eclampsia -- that contribute to poor maternal health outcomes |
among black women; and |
WHEREAS, Black women in the United States suffer from life-threatening pregnancy |
complications twice as often as their white counterparts and their risk of maternal mortality has |
remained higher than white women’s risk for the past six decades; and |
WHEREAS, In addition, studies in Oregon, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have shown that |
using a doula can save money; and |
WHEREAS, Currently in the United States, one in three births is a C-section. They cost |
about fifty percent more than conventional births. Using a doula reduces the chances of the need |
for a C-section by twenty-five percent; and |
WHEREAS, According to the manuscript entitled “modeling the cost effectiveness of |
doula care associated with reductions in preterm birth and cesarean delivery”, in Minnesota, |
women who received doula support had lower preterm and cesarean birth rates than Medicaid |
beneficiaries regionally (4.7 percent vs. 6.3 percent, and 20.4 percent vs. 34.2 percent). Data has |
shown that women with doula care have had twenty-two percent lower odds of preterm birth. |
Cost-effectiveness analyses indicate potential savings associated with doula support reimbursed at |
an average of nine hundred eighty six dollars (ranging from nine hundred twenty-nine dollars to |
one thousand forty-seven dollars across states); now, therefore be it |
RESOLVED, That this House hereby celebrates the week of March 22nd through March |
28th, 2019, as "World Doula Week" in the State of Rhode Island and recognizes the vital need |
and usefulness of perinatal doula services in order to provide medical assistance health care for |
expectant mothers; and be it further |
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Doulas of Rhode Island, Open Circle Rhode |
Island, and Rhode Island Doula Services. |
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LC002307 |
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