NY A07169

Requires the Commissioner of Health to develop comprehensive policies for healthcare facilities providing birthing services when a stillbirth occurs, including assigning a primary physician to communicate with the family and coordinate care

Mandates one-on-one nursing care for mothers experiencing stillbirth and training for healthcare staff on providing sensitive support, grief counseling, and accommodating family religious and cultural needs

Requires facilities to offer memory-making opportunities including holding the baby without time restrictions, preparing keepsakes (handprints, photographs, lock of hair), and retaining keepsakes for one year if families decline them at discharge

Establishes a fetal death evaluation protocol requiring hospitals to collect detailed data including maternal demographics, medical history, prenatal care, and autopsy findings conforming to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists standards

Creates a confidential stillbirth research database to be maintained by the Department of Health, with anonymized data made publicly available and evaluated to identify causes and prevention strategies, with a report due to the legislature within five years