Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Health Care & Wellness Committee

HB 1303

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

Child Mortality Reviews

Local health departments are authorized to conduct child mortality reviews. A child mortality review is a process for examining factors that contribute to deaths of children less than 18 years of age. The process may include:

a systematic review of medical, clinical, and hospital records;
home interviews of parents and caretakers of children who have died;
analysis of individual case information; and
review of the information by a team of professionals in order to identify modifiable medical, socioeconomic, public health, behavioral, administrative, educational, and environmental factors associated with the death.

Currently, the Department of Health (DOH) collects child mortality reviews and enters them into a database and provides technical assistance relating to child mortality reviews. To do this, the DOH uses funding from the federal Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, one of the purposes of which is to reduce infant mortality.

Summary of Bill:

The Department of Health (DOH) must assist local health departments to collect the reports of any child mortality reviews and enter them into a database. The DOH must respond to any requests for information from the database, to the extent the information is not protected health information. The DOH must also provide technical assistance to local health departments and child death review coordinators and encourage communication among child death review teams. The DOH must conduct these activities using only federal funding from the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant and private funding.