Hospitals; creating the Maternity Care Pilot Program; directing certain grant award; providing for application; limiting use of funds. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 222 creates Oklahoma's Maternity Care Pilot Program, providing a one-time $5 million grant to a single hospital to add labor and delivery services. The program targets hospitals meeting strict criteria: they must be critical access facilities, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations owned by public entities, profitable for two years, not currently offering such services, and staffed with at least one Certified Nurse-Midwife. Grant funds can only cover staffing, essential equipment/supplies, and maternal/infant health education - not construction. The State Department of Health will select the highest-scoring eligible hospital and develop application rules, with the program effective July 1, 2025.