Senate Bill 875 Summary

• Establishes a Maternal Mortality Prevention Grant Program awarding $10,000-$50,000 grants to community-based organizations led by black women to prevent maternal mortality and morbidity among black women through evidence-based practices.

• Requires all health care professionals engaged in perinatal care to complete implicit bias training by December 31, 2024 (existing licensees) or within one year of licensure (new licensees), with training addressing unconscious bias, cultural competency, health inequities, and reproductive justice.

• Allocates $550,000 equally to North Carolina A&T State University and Johnson C. Smith University to establish and sustain lactation consultant training programs targeting diverse workforce recruitment.

• Establishes a statewide Count the Kicks stillbirth prevention program funded with $2,000,000 in recurring funds to educate healthcare providers and expectant parents on fetal movement monitoring.

• Establishes patient rights at perinatal facilities including the right to receive care free from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, immigration status, and other protected characteristics.