Bipartisan health equity legislation was introduced today in Congress, infusing another boost of energy into the U.S. health equity movement. The Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act is designed to decrease the incidence of complications and deaths in connection with premature births, while including measures that support enhanced health equity.
The sweeping legislation includes measures for increasing education, research and initiatives targeting the prevention of premature births. First passed in 2006, PREEMIE has been a key drive in supporting doctors and researchers in detecting the factors that trigger premature births so they can avert them.
Research has shown that poor data collection and the lack of effective education in this area exacerbate health inequities by sparking a greater incidence of adverse birth outcomes within historically underrepresented and marginalized populations. To that point, this legislation reauthorizes programs administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration, including robust data collection to explore a range of emerging issues in the area of reproductive health, as well as grants to educate health providers regarding risk factors for premature births.
The text of the bill is located here, and a summary is located here.
