Amniotic fluid embolism; direct Health Dept. to conduct educational activities for providers and patients about signs, symptoms and management of.

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To: Public Health and Human
Services
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Owen

HOUSE BILL NO. 1296
(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO DIRECT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT 1
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, PATIENTS AND THE 2
PUBLIC ON THE SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND MANAGEMENT OF AMNIOTIC FLUID 3
EMBOLISM; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE 4
INFORMATION ABOUT AMNIOTIC FLUID EMBOLISM ON THE DEPARTMENT'S 5
WEBSITE; TO REQUIRE THAT DATA AND STATISTICS RELATED TO AMNIOTIC 6
FLUID EMBOLISM BE REPORTED TO THE CHILD DEATH REVIEW PANEL AND 7
MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEE; TO PROVIDE FOR A SELF 8
MEASUREMENT BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING PILOT PROGRAM FOR PREGNANT 9
WOMEN; TO AMEND SECTION 73-25-14, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 10
REQUIRE CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION RELATING TO NUTRITION AND 11
METABOLIC HEALTH FOR RENEWAL OF PHYSICIANS' LICENSES; TO REQUIRE 12
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DIVISION 13
OF MEDICAID, TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON CERTIFICATION OF DOULAS; TO 14
REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC 15
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING OF FATHERHOOD 16
ENGAGEMENT IN IMPROVING OVERALL HEALTH OUTCOMES DURING PREGNANCY, 17
CHILDBIRTH AND POSTPARTUM FOR BOTH THE MOTHER AND BABY; AND FOR 18
RELATED PURPOSES. 19
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 20
SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known as "Maeghan's 21
Law." 22
(2) Notwithstanding any general or specific laws to the 23
contrary, it is the intent of the Legislature for the State of 24
Mississippi to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and 25
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reduce the rates of maternal and infant mortalities throughout the 26
state. 27
(3) As used in this section, "amniotic fluid embolism" means 28
a rare obstetric emergency in which amniotic fluid, fetal cells, 29
hair or other debris enters the maternal bloodstream leading to 30
cardiovascular collapse, respiratory failure, and disseminated 31
intravascular coagulation. 32
(4) The State Department of Health shall conduct educational 33
activities for health care providers, patients and the public on 34
the signs, symptoms and management of amniotic fluid embolism. 35
(5) The department shall make available information about 36
amniotic fluid embolism on the department's website. 37
(6) The department shall provide data and statistics 38
regarding cases of amniotic fluid embolisms, both fatal and 39
nonfatal to the Child Death Review Panel established in Section 40
41-111-1 and the Maternal Mortality Review Committee established 41
in Section 41-112-1 for the purposes of fulfilling annual 42
reporting required by Section 41-3-15(1)(c)(viii). 43
SECTION 2. (1) As used in this section, the following words 44
and phrases shall be defined as provided in this subsection unless 45
the context clearly indicates otherwise: 46
(a) "Enrollee" means an individual determined as having 47
a high-risk pregnancy by a qualified health care provider. 48
(b) "Postpartum" means within one (1) year of delivery 49
or the end of pregnancy. 50
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(2) Blood pressure monitoring for pregnant and postpartum 51
women. Subject to available funding, including, but not limited 52
to, real or in-kind contributions from public and private sources, 53
or funds from the Rural Health Transformation Fund, Public Law No. 54
119-21, the State Department of Health may establish or assist 55
with the establishment of a pilot program to provide coverage and 56
reimbursement for self measurement blood pressure monitoring 57
services for pregnant women and postpartum enrollees. Self 58
measurement blood pressure monitoring services shall include: 59
(a) Validated blood pressure monitoring devices, such 60
as a blood pressure cuff and replacement cuffs, as medically 61
necessary, to diagnose or treat hypertension; and 62
(b) Patient education and training on the setup and use 63
of a self measurement blood pressure measurement device that is 64
(3) The pilot program may provide coverage for medically 65
necessary home blood pressure monitors that have been validated 66
for clinical accuracy for pregnant or postpartum enrollees not 67
more frequently than once every two (2) years. 68
SECTION 3. Section 73-25-14, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 69
amended as follows: 70
73-25-14. (1) Except as provided in Section 33-1-39, the 71
license of every person licensed to practice medicine or 72
osteopathy in the State of Mississippi shall be renewed annually. 73
On or before May 1 of each year, the State Board of Medical 74
Licensure shall mail a notice of renewal of license to every 75
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physician or osteopath to whom a license was issued or renewed 76
during the current licensing year. The notice shall provide 77
instructions for obtaining and submitting applications for 78
renewal. The State Board of Medical Licensure is authorized to 79
make applications for renewal available via electronic means. The 80
applicant shall obtain and complete the application and submit it 81
to the board in the manner prescribed by the board in the notice 82
before June 30 with the renewal fee of an amount established by 83
the board, but not to exceed Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), a 84
portion of which fee shall be used to support a program to aid 85
impaired physicians and osteopaths. The payment of the annual 86
license renewal fee shall be optional with all physicians over the 87
age of seventy (70) years. Upon receipt of the application and 88
fee, the board shall verify the accuracy of the application and 89
issue to applicant a certificate of renewal for the ensuing year, 90
beginning July 1 and expiring June 30 of the succeeding calendar 91
year. That renewal shall render the holder thereof a legal 92
practitioner as stated on the renewal form. 93
(2) License renewal shall require the completion of one (1) 94
hour of continuing medical education related to nutrition and 95
metabolic health, as determined by the State Board of Medical 96
Licensure, and an acknowledgement of receipt of the most recent 97
informational and statistical reports pertaining to the impacts of 98
nutrition and metabolic health on maternal and infant mortality 99
and public health outcomes in the State of Mississippi. 100
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( * * *3) Any physician or osteopath practicing in 101
Mississippi who allows his or her license to lapse by failing to 102
renew the license as provided in subsection (1) may be reinstated 103
by the board on satisfactory explanation for the failure to renew, 104
by completion of a reinstatement form, and upon payment of the 105
renewal fee for the current year, and shall be assessed a fine of 106
Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) plus an additional fine of Five 107
Dollars ($5.00) for each month thereafter that the license renewal 108
remains delinquent. 109
( * * *4) Any physician or osteopath not practicing in 110
Mississippi who allows his or her license to lapse by failing to 111
renew the license as provided in subsection (1) may be reinstated 112
by the board on satisfactory explanation for the failure to renew, 113
by completion of a reinstatement form and upon payment of the 114
arrearages for the previous five (5) years and the renewal fee for 115
the current year. 116
( * * *5) Any physician or osteopath who allows his or her 117
license to lapse shall be notified by the board within thirty (30) 118
days of that lapse. 119
( * * *6) Any person practicing as a licensed physician or 120
osteopath during the time his or her license has lapsed shall be 121
considered an illegal practitioner and shall be subject to 122
penalties provided for violation of the Medical Practice Act, if 123
he or she had not submitted the required reinstatement form and 124
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fee within fifteen (15) days after notification by the board of 125
the lapse. 126
( * * *7) Any physician or osteopath practicing in the State 127
of Mississippi whose license has lapsed and is deemed an illegal 128
practitioner under subsection ( * * *6) of this section may 129
petition the board for reinstatement of his or her license on a 130
retroactive basis, if the physician or osteopath was unable to 131
meet the June 30 deadline due to extraordinary or other legitimate 132
reasons, and retroactive reinstatement of licensure shall be 133
granted or may be denied by the board only for good cause. 134
Failure to advise the board of change of address shall not be 135
considered a basis of reinstatement. 136
( * * *8) None of the fees or fines provided for in this 137
section shall be applicable to the renewal of a special volunteer 138
medical license authorized under Section 73-25-18. 139
( * * *9) Fees collected under the provisions of this 140
section shall be used by the board to defray expenses of 141
administering the licensure provisions of the Medical Practice Act 142
(Title 73, Chapter 25, Mississippi Code of 1972) and to support a 143
program to aid impaired physicians and osteopaths in an amount 144
determined by the board. 145
( * * *10) In order for a physician or osteopath whose 146
medical license has been expired for five (5) years or more to 147
qualify for reinstatement of license, the physician or osteopath 148
must have successfully been cleared for reinstatement through an 149
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investigation that shall consist of a determination as to good 150
moral character and verification that the prospective licensee is 151
not guilty of or in violation of any statutory ground for denial 152
of licensure as set forth in Sections 73-25-29 and 73-25-83. To 153
assist the board in conducting its licensure investigation, all 154
applicants shall undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history 155
records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the 156
Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history database. Each 157
applicant shall submit a full set of the applicant's fingerprints 158
in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which shall be 159
forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety 160
(department) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation 161
Identification Division for this purpose. 162
Any and all state or national criminal history records 163
information obtained by the board that is not already a matter of 164
public record shall be deemed nonpublic and confidential 165
information restricted to the exclusive use of the board, its 166
members, officers, investigators, agents and attorneys in 167
evaluating the applicant's eligibility or disqualification for 168
licensure, and shall be exempt from the Mississippi Public Records 169
Act of 1983. Except when introduced into evidence in a hearing 170
before the board to determine licensure, no such information or 171
records related thereto shall, except with the written consent of 172
the applicant or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, be 173
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released or otherwise disclosed by the board to any other person 174
or agency. 175
The board shall provide to the department the fingerprints of 176
the applicant, any additional information that may be required by 177
the department, and a form signed by the applicant consenting to 178
the check of the criminal records and to the use of the 179
fingerprints and other identifying information required by the 180
state or national repositories. 181
The board shall charge and collect from the applicant, in 182
addition to all other applicable fees and costs, such amount as 183
may be incurred by the board in requesting and obtaining state and 184
national criminal history records information on the applicant. 185
SECTION 4. Doula certification. (1) The State Department of 186
Health, in collaboration with the Division of Medicaid, shall 187
conduct a study on certification of doulas that meet the 188
requirements in subsection (2) of this section, including, but not 189
limited to, establishment of a Mississippi-specific doula training 190
program, doula registry and reimbursement models for doula 191
services, including Medicaid coverage. The department shall 192
provide a report on the study, including its recommendations for 193
legislation, not later than December 31, 2026. 194
(2) To be certified as a doula, a person must have: 195
(a) Received a certification to perform doula services 196
from the Childbirth Education Association, the Doulas of North 197
America (DONA), the Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth 198
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Educators (ALACE), Birthworks International, the Childbirth and 199
Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA), Childbirth 200
International, the International Center for Traditional 201
Childbearing, or Commonsense Childbirth, Inc.; or 202
(b) Demonstrated: 203
(i) An understanding of basic anatomy and 204
physiology as related to pregnancy, the childbearing process, 205
breastfeeding or chestfeeding, and the postpartum period; 206
(ii) The capacity to employ different strategies 207
for providing emotional support, education, and resources during 208
the perinatal period; 209
(iii) Knowledge of and the ability to assist 210
families with using a wide variety of nonclinical labor coping and 211
physical comfort strategies; 212
(iv) An awareness of strategies to foster 213
effective communication between clients, their families, support 214
services, and healthcare providers; and 215
(v) Knowledge of community based, publicly funded 216
and federally funded, and clinical resources available to the 217
client for any need outside the doula's scope of practice; 218
(3) As used in this section, "doula services" means services 219
that provide continuous emotional and physical support throughout 220
labor and birth, and intermittently during the prenatal and 221
postpartum periods. 222
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SECTION 5. Sections 5 through 8 of this act shall be known 223
and may be cited as the "Fatherhood Engagement in Maternal Health 224
Act." 225
SECTION 6. Declaration of purpose. The Legislature finds 226
and declares as follows: 227
(a) Fatherhood engagement can play an important role in 228
improving maternal health care, addressing maternal mortality and 229
morbidity and bettering the development and long-term growth of a 230
child. 231
(b) The participation of the father during prenatal 232
care appointments can provide the mother with additional support 233
to recognize potential pregnancy-related complications that could 234
lead to maternal mortality and morbidity. 235
(c) Fatherhood engagement can reduce the risks of 236
postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and contributes to a lower 237
likelihood of a preterm birth and a higher likelihood of a 238
healthier birth weight. 239
(d) Active support of the father during breastfeeding 240
can increase the chances of successful breastfeeding, which 241
improves the physical and mental health of the baby and the 242
mother. 243
(e) Physical contact between the father and the baby 244
just after birth and in the months following birth has been shown 245
to improve the health and development of the baby, improve the 246
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mental health of the father and foster father-child bonding in the 247
short term and long term. 248
SECTION 7. Public awareness campaign on fatherhood 249
engagement in maternal health. (1) Duties. Subject to funding 250
being available, no later than July 1, 2028, the State Department 251
of Health shall conduct a public awareness campaign to increase 252
the understanding of fatherhood engagement in improving overall 253
health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum for 254
both the mother and baby. 255
(2) Contents. The department shall ensure that the public 256
awareness campaign under subsection (1) of this section includes 257
the following: 258
(a) Messaging intended to provide information to the 259
public about the importance of a father's role in pregnancy and 260
parenting. 261
(b) Resources and information that promote awareness 262
about the impact of father inclusion on maternal and infant 263
outcomes. 264
SECTION 8. Guidance to maternal care providers on 265
encouraging fatherhood engagement in maternal health. (1) Duties 266
of department. No later than July 1, 2027, the department shall 267
post materials on the department's publicly accessible Internet 268
website that address how a provider of maternity care, including a 269
hospital, health care facility, birth center, or health care 270
practitioner can provide training and education to a health care 271
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ST: Amniotic fluid embolism; direct Health
Dept. to conduct educational activities for
providers and patients about signs, symptoms and
management of.
practitioner about the benefits of fatherhood engagement in 272
improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth and 273
postpartum for both the mother and baby. 274
(2) Screening for paternal depression. The department shall 275
encourage and promote the inclusion of paternal depression 276
screening by providers of maternity care as part of care provided 277
during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum for both the mother 278
and baby. 279
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from 280
and after July 1, 2026. 281