| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, IN 2 |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS 3 |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | AFFAIRS, TO STUDY HEALTH ISSUES AFFECTING WOMEN WHO SERVE IN THE 4 |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | MILITARY; AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THIS PURPOSE. 5 |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6 |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | SECTION 1.(a) The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) shall study 7 |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | the following issues affecting women who serve in the military: 8 |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | (1) Coordinating effectively between veterans health care facilities and 9 |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | non-veterans health care facilities in the delivery of maternity care and other 10 |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | health care services. 11 |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | (2) Facilitating access to community resources to address social determinants of 12 |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | health, including housing, nutrition, and employment status. 13 |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | (3) Identifying mental and behavioral health risk factors in the prenatal and 14 |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | postpartum periods and ensuring that pregnant and postpartum veterans get 15 |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | the treatments they need. 16 |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | (4) Facilitating access to childbirth preparation classes, parenting classes, 17 |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, lactation classes, and breast 18 |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | pumps. 19 |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | (5) Reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, with a particular 20 |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | focus on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. 21 |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | SECTION 1.(b) In conducting the study required by subsection (a) of this section, 22 |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | the Department of Health and Human Services shall solicit feedback from mothers who are 23 |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | currently serving, or who formerly served, in the military. In addition, the DHHS shall consult 24 |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), as necessary. The DMVA shall 25 |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | cooperate with the DHHS and provide any assistance or information requested with respect to 26 |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | the study required by subsection (a) of this section. 27 |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | SECTION 1.(c) By April 1, 2026, the DHHS shall report its findings, and any 28 |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | recommendations for legislation, to the Senate Health Care Committee, the Joint Legislative 29 |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee 30 |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | on General Government, and the Fiscal Research Division. 31 |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 32 |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | Health and Human Services the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring 33 |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the purpose of conducting the study described in Section 34 |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | 1 of this act. 35 |
|---|
| 47 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 36 |
|---|