Perinatal Workforce Act

This bill establishes programs and requires research to diversify the perinatal workforce and advance respectful maternal care delivery models.

Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to education and training programs to grow and diversify the professions that make up the perinatal workforce. HHS must also disseminate guidance on respectful maternal care delivery. This guidance must cover, among other topics, recruiting and retaining maternity care providers from diverse backgrounds and incorporating trained midwives and other perinatal health workers into maternity care teams.

In addition, the National Institutes of Health must study best practices for culturally and linguistically congruent maternity care. This is care that is in agreement with the preferred cultural values, beliefs, languages, worldview, and practices of health care consumers and other stakeholders.

The Government Accountability Office must also report on certain aspects of perinatal health care professions. The reporting must focus on barriers to entering those professions for low-income and minority women.