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1998 SESSION

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989074120
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 196 Offered January 26, 1998 Requesting the Department of Medical Assistance Services to study Medicaid transportation with special emphasis on rural and underserved areas. ---------- Patron-- Baker ---------- Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions ----------

WHEREAS, it is widely accepted that early and continuous prenatal care is associated with improved pregnancy outcomes; and

WHEREAS, efforts to reduce poor pregnancy outcomes, as indicated by infant mortality rates and the percentage of low birth weight infants, have focused upon increasing the participation of women in prenatal care; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, 18 percent of pregnant women living in Virginia failed to enter into prenatal care in the first trimester, thereby contributing to an increasing rate of low birth weight babies; and

WHEREAS, in Virginia, there are significant differences in these rates depending on age, race, education, and geographic region; and

WHEREAS, even though some rural areas have significant inadequacies in resources available to provide prenatal care, pregnancy outcome as measured by mortality and birth weight may be good; and

WHEREAS, perinatal health care systems are services that are available to an individual when she can obtain them, at the time and place that she needs them, and from appropriate personnel; and

WHEREAS, respondents to a survey on the availability of perinatal health care indicated that the top three barriers faced by women in underserved areas seeking access to perinatal care are (i) lack of transportation, (ii) lack of education about the importance of perinatal care, and (iii) the inability to pay for care; and

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution 617 of the 1997 Session of the General Assembly directed the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to work with a number of professional organizations to prepare recommendations for a coordinated plan for improving perinatal health care access in underserved areas; and

WHEREAS, the report issued by that study, House Document No. 9, made a number of recommendations for change and further study, among them transportation in underserved areas ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Medical Assistance Services be requested to study and make recommendations on Medicaid transportation with special emphasis on rural and underserved areas.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Medical Assistance Services for this study, upon request.

The Department of Medical Assistance Services shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2000 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.