FL S1540

Establishes two telehealth minority maternity care pilot programs in Duval County and Orange County by July 1, 2022 to improve maternal health outcomes in racial and ethnic minority populations and medically underserved areas.

Pilot programs must provide or coordinate telehealth services addressing pregnancy complications, social determinants of health, mental health screening, lactation support, and maternal wellness monitoring tools to eligible pregnant women through the postpartum period.

Requires training for participating health care practitioners and perinatal professionals on implicit bias, racism, remote patient monitoring, screening for social determinants of health, and maternal mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

Adds maternal health programs to the Department of Health's Closing the Gap grant program coordination efforts and expands grant priorities to include decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity rates and other maternal health outcomes.

Pilot programs will be funded through existing Closing the Gap grant appropriations, with the department's Division of Community Health Promotion and Office of Minority Health and Health Equity authorized to apply for additional federal funding.