S. 380 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Feb 4, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryStrengthens emergency birth care in rural areas
This bill creates and expands federal grant programs to help rural hospitals and health facilities improve their ability to handle obstetric emergencies. The money would go toward training staff, building up the workforce, buying equipment, and setting up telehealth programs so rural facilities can provide urgent maternal health care even without a dedicated obstetrics unit.
How it affects you
If you live in a rural area or a region with few obstetric specialists, this could mean better emergency care if something goes wrong during pregnancy or childbirth. Rural hospitals and health care facilities would get federal funding to prepare for these emergencies, potentially reducing the need to travel long distances in a crisis.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Feb 4, 2025)
Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act
This bill creates and expands federal grant programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase capacity to provide emergency obstetric health services in rural areas or areas without practitioners or facilities specializing in obstetric services.
Specifically, HRSA must establish a program for providing grants to certain hospitals or consortiums that include hospitals in rural areas or areas with maternal health care professional shortages for training, developing a workforce, and purchasing equipment relating to obstetric emergencies. In addition, the bill requires HRSA’s Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Capacity program to provide grants for training on emergency obstetric services for practitioners in rural health care facilities without dedicated obstetric units. HRSA must also establish a pilot program to provide grants to government entities for developing or improving telehealth access programs to support urgent maternal health care in rural facilities without a dedicated obstetric unit.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 380
A BILL
Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act
Sponsor: Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH) · Introduced Feb 4, 2025 · Health · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 28, 2026: “Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 525.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 2 official versions.