FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 2016

C 41 L 18

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning midwifery and doula services for incarcerated women.

Sponsors: House Committee on Health Care & Wellness (originally sponsored by Representatives DeBolt, Hayes, Stanford, Doglio and Muri).

House Committee on Health Care & Wellness

Senate Committee on Health Care

Senate Committee on Health & Long Term Care

Background:

Maternity Services for Incarcerated Women.

Prisons and jails provide for medically necessary health care services for incarcerated persons. This includes maternity services provided in prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care. For pregnant prison inmates, services are provided in the facility that a Department of Corrections health care practitioner determines is appropriate for the level of service required. For pregnant inmates in jail, jail personnel transport the inmate to her prenatal medical appointments in the community.

When an incarcerated women is in labor, correctional personnel may not be present in the room, unless specifically requested by medical personnel. If a correctional employee's presence is requested by medical personnel, the employee should be female if practicable.

Washington Corrections Center for Women.

The Residential Parenting Program at the Washington Corrections Center for Women provides a residential setting to allow incarcerated mothers to keep their infants with them during their incarceration. To be eligible for participation, an inmate must meet certain criteria and be eligible for release prior to her infant turning 30 months old. The program includes prenatal and postnatal programs.

Midwifery and Doula Services.

A licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner may be designated as a certified nurse midwife. A licensed midwife renders medical care for compensation to a woman during prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum stages. Requirements for licensure include: a certificate or diploma from a midwifery program; a minimum of three years of midwifery training; educational requirements; observation of women in the intrapartum period; and passage of an examination.

A doula is a person who provides support to a woman before, during, and after childbirth. A doula may be trained and certified by a professional organization, but is not licensed by the state as a health care provider.

Summary:

The Department of Corrections (Department) and jails must make reasonable accommodations for the provision of available midwifery and doula services to inmates who are pregnant or who have given birth in the last six weeks. A person providing midwifery or doula services must be granted appropriate facility access, be allowed to attend and provide assistance during labor and childbirth (where feasible), and have access to the inmate's relevant health care information if the inmate authorizes disclosure.

Nothing requires the Department or governing units to establish or provide funding for midwifery or doula services, and nothing prevents the adoption of policy guidelines related to the delivery of midwifery or doula services to inmates. The midwifery or doula services provided may not supplant health care services routinely provided to the inmate.

"Doula services" are defined as services provided by a trained doula that are designed to provide physical, emotional, and informational support to a pregnant woman before, during, and after delivery. Doula services may include support during labor and childbirth, prenatal and postpartum education, breastfeeding assistance, parenting education, and support in the event that a woman has been or will become separated from her child. "Midwifery services" is defined as medical aid rendered by a midwife to a woman during prenatal, intrapartum, or postpartum stages or to a woman's newborn up to two weeks of age. A "midwife" is defined as a licensed midwife or a licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner.

Votes on Final Passage: