Sec. 101. Pregnancy and parenting support services
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It is the sense of the Congress that women who are pregnant and fear being abandoned under difficult life circumstances, and recipients of care funded through title X of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300 et seq. ), title XX of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq. ), and other Federal, State, and local health care programs, should be aware of the services available, during and after pregnancy, that will support them while carrying their children to live birth as well as supporting women who are raising their children following birth or giving their children up for adoption.
Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254b et seq. ) is amended— by redesignating section 330F as section 330F–1; and by inserting after section 330E the following: The Secretary shall develop and maintain a comprehensive, publicly accessible, and user friendly database, to be known as the Pregnant and Parenting Women’s Care Information Service, to serve as a consolidated source of information on public and private service providers that address the concerns of pregnant women through the provision of pregnancy and parenting support services.
The database developed under paragraph
(1)shall include a list, by State and locality, of qualified providers including, for each listed provider— Web sites and other relevant sources of information about such provider; as applicable and available— contact information for such provider; and the number of years such provider has provided pregnancy and parenting support services; and information on the services offered by such provider targeted towards pregnant and parenting women, including the rating and reviews collected under subsection (b)(3). In developing and maintaining the database under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— seek the input of— qualified providers; and relevant State officials; identify the complete list of Federal programs that provide pregnancy and parenting support services; and create a process to collect from women ratings and reviews of qualified providers listed in the database based on the interactions of such women with such providers. The Secretary shall conduct an annual review of best practices in pregnancy and parenting support services nationwide. In conducting each annual review under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— gather input from qualified providers listed in the database developed under subsection
(a)and experts described in subsection (b)(1), including experts and providers representing— State and local governments; the private sector; and prenatal and parenting care centers; and in gathering such input, encourage such providers and experts— to share information on best practices described in paragraph (1); and to identify difficulties facing pregnant and parenting women and to develop best practices to address such difficulties. The Secretary shall enter into a contract, through the use of competitive procedures, with an entity to establish and operate a toll-free number to provide women with referrals for obtaining pregnancy and parenting support services, including services to support mental and emotional health. The Secretary may award competitive grants to providers listed in the database developed under subsection
(a)to develop best practices for communities to identify optimal ways to provide pregnancy and parenting support services. The Secretary may award a grant to a provider under this subsection only if the provider agrees that the grant will be used to supplement, and not supplant, pregnancy and parenting support services. The Secretary may award competitive grants to academic medical centers for the exclusive purpose of having individuals affiliated with such academic medical center with expertise in pregnancy and parenting and accompanying social services, including patient advocates, accomplish the following activities: Deliver specialized training in pregnancy and parenting support services. Develop and implement programs to train individuals to deliver such specialized training. Seek input from women who have experienced pregnancy to develop best practices for providers serving such women and advice for other women experiencing pregnancy. The Secretary shall ensure that the programs and activities authorized or required by this section are not duplicated by other programs and activities of the Department of Health and Human Services. No Federal funds may be made available to a Federal agency or program, or to a State or local government, if such agency, program, or government subjects any institutional or individual health care entity to discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions. In this subsection, the term health care entity includes an individual physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan. The Secretary shall submit an annual report to the Congress on the activities carried out under this section, the funds expended on such activities, and the results achieved through such activities. In this section: The term pregnancy and parenting support services means services offered during and after pregnancy to pregnant women and new parents in order to help such women and such parents alleviate the physical, financial, social, emotional, and other difficulties that may be encountered during and after pregnancy, consisting of the following: Material and financial assistance, including maternity and baby clothing, diapers, baby food (including formula), baby furniture, and car seats. Information for parents with newborn children, including adopted children, addressing resources regarding pregnancy and childbirth, infant feeding, time management, parenting special needs children, and nutrition during and after pregnancy. Referrals for adoption, job training and placement, housing, personal safety, food stamps, and other governmental assistance. Crisis hotlines, including for violence prevention, suicide prevention, and survivors of sexual assault who are pregnant due to such assault. Pro bono obstetric and prenatal care services for women in the carrying of their children to live birth, including services during pregnancy and following childbirth, and neonatal care services, including referrals for such services. Pro bono legal services to assist women who are pregnant and parents with newborn children, including adopted children. Child care services. Pursuing collection of child support and alimony. Services to assist parents to care for, and prepare to care for, a child with Down syndrome or another prenatally diagnosed condition, and to facilitate the adoption of such children as appropriate. Life-skills mentoring, including to enhance the following competencies: Strengthening marriage. Communication and conflict management for building healthy marriages and families. Decisionmaking and relationship-building skills prior to marriage. High-risk behavior awareness. Services for postpartum depression treatment. The term qualified provider means a service provider, including a pregnancy support center, that has been engaged in providing any pregnancy and parenting supporting services for at least three years. .
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