Nation’s Ob-Gyns Applaud Passage of the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act

Washington, DC—Lisa Hollier, M.D., MPH, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, which now proceeds to the president’s desk for enactment.

“ACOG applauds the U.S. Senate for unanimously passing the bipartisan Improving Access to Maternity Care Act. This legislation addresses ACOG’s longstanding priority to ensure every woman has safe and timely access to care from a women’s health care provider. After advocating for passage of this important bill for several years, the nation’s ob-gyns are thrilled to see it ready to be signed into law. We extend a special thank you to our U.S. House and Senate champions, Representatives Michael C. Burgess, MD, FACOG (R-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

“The Improving Access to Maternity Care Act responds to our nation’s growing maternity care shortage by ensuring that the National Health Service Corps sends ob-gyns to areas of greatest need, bringing essential care to pregnant women, regardless of where they live.

“Importantly, Congress’ work is not yet done. We urge Congress to swiftly pass H.R. 1318, the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act, and S. 1112, the Maternal Health Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation to reverse our country’s rising maternal mortality rate by assisting states to establish or improve maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs), multidisciplinary committees that will track, analyze and identify local solutions to prevent maternal deaths.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 58,000 members, ACOG strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. www.acog.org