Requires DHS to establish three-year Obstetric Discrimination Prevention and Mitigation Pilot Program.
This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Health (DHS) to establish a three-year pilot program to prevent and address obstetric discrimination in maternity care. It directly targets Black mothers, who face a maternal mortality rate 2.6 times higher than white mothers (69.9 vs. 26.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021), by mandating that hospitals measure and address discrimination as a factor in care quality - not just clinical outcomes. The program will develop new quality improvement tools that incorporate patient experiences of discrimination, rather than relying on current metrics that overlook racial bias. The pilot aims to reduce preventable maternal deaths and improve care safety during pregnancy, childbirth, and the first year postpartum.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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