(This site will be updated regularly.)
July 5th, 2024
Hello Momnibus partners,
I wanted to thank everyone for attending the Momnibus Roundtable discussion on June 27th and for all of your important contributions. If anyone would like to rewatch the meeting, or for anyone who missed it, the recording can be found at this link. [You will need this passcode: g=V1TB@f]
We presented our four proposed main areas of focus for the 2025 Momnibus effort:
Safe, stable housing during pregnancy and in the first year postpartum,
Providing basic income for eligible pregnant and postpartum people
Ensuring access to adequate care to improve maternal mental health outcomes and substance use disorders, and
Expanding and diversifying the perinatal workforce, especially community health workers/doulas.
Many of these focus areas are similar to Black Maternal Health Momnibus legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress. While that federal legislation has not been passed in whole, it has inspired efforts in many other states. We hope this effort will get some of these important goals across the finish line in Oregon.
The Roundtable Discussion: We had a robust discussion with a wide range of professionals (the chat was buzzing with information and energy too!).
As Representative Reynolds mentioned, the plan for the Oregon Momnibus effort is to introduce bills over the next two biennia (four years) to improve maternal and child health over the longer term. We heard from many content area experts – home-visiting representatives, doulas, midwives, childcare experts, psychologists, and more.
Several people emphasized the role of care coordination and system navigation, highlighting longitudinal home visiting services, postpartum doula support, childcare partnerships, Medicaid and CCO funding for health-related social needs, support systems for fathers, housing priorities, diverse workforce development, taking an equity approach, centering vulnerable communities in our State, and behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment and integration.
Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the discussion; we invite continued feedback as we progress in the policy development process. Stay tuned, and you’ll be hearing from us going forward!
Representative Lisa Reynolds and team
___________________________________________________________________________________________
June 13th, 2024
Hello Maternal & Infant Health Partners!
2025 is coming up fast and we’re excited to have another Momnibus roundtable.
Rep. Reynolds invites you to join for a virtual roundtable discussion on June 27th from 1 - 2:30 p.m. to outline and discuss our Momnibus 2025 bill package. The Momnibus 2025 bill package is an effort to identify barriers that mothers, children, and families face in the prenatal, delivery, postpartum, and early childhood period, and to develop legislative solutions to these barriers in a thoughtful, comprehensive, and intentional way.
Rep. Reynolds will give an overview of the concept so far, and then hear from folks about their feedback and priorities and how to make sure we’re crafting the best possible policy package. I also want to note that, while we’re currently working in legislation for 2025, we intend to introduce Momnibus-related legislation across multiple sessions.
If you would like to attend, please register for the Zoom here or click on the image below.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
February 09, 2024
This is an update on our activities and plans.
Rep. Reynolds and her team are hard at work at the Capitol in the first week of the 2024 short session, but our eyes are looking toward 2025 for landmark legislation aimed at promoting and supporting holistic health and well-being for pregnant people and their babies through 12 months of age.
We have big, audacious goals with this legislation, including improving prenatal care, substance use disorder treatment, expansion of doula care, increasing culturally specific services, and promoting early relational health. We are currently working on creating a scaffolding with policy experts that can help us think about payment and structures that would allow us to leverage Medicaid dollars to accomplish some of these goals. We are also spending our time identifying community groups and government agencies to invite to this process as we progress toward a bill or a series of bills. Furthermore, we recently met with the new director of the Oregon Health Authority, Dr. Sejal Hathi, to let her know our plans. She is very supportive and wants to be involved!
As we write, Rep. Reynolds is working to pass a bill to support the Nurse-Family Partnership (HB 4105), calling on state funds (in place of county funds) to support their current level of services, expand to more families, and provide a pathway for the program to expand to all counties in Oregon.
As we move forward with Momnibus planning, we will be hosting meetings after the busy short session for more specific feedback and policy planning with all our stakeholders.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
December 2024
Where We’re Headed
Our vision is to make Oregon the best and most equitable place in which to grow up.
One important step is Momnibus 2025, which seeks to provide comprehensive healthcare and wrap-around services from the prenatal period through baby’s first 12 months (and 12 months postpartum).
Where We Are Now: Oregon Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Report
53% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable and half of pregnancy-related deaths were due to mental health issues and/or substance use disorders.
Report Recommendations call for an increase culturally specific services, expansion of doula care, improved access to behavioral health services, and closer study of pregnancy-related deaths (autopsy).
Proposal
Introduce a “Momnibus” bill (or series of bills) in the 2025 legislative session, to improve, streamline, and expand services for mothers, children, and families in the prenatal, delivery, postpartum/infancy period. We plan to leverage Medicaid dollars, which enjoy a significant federal match, and a waiver that allows us to use these funds for housing, nutrition, and climate-related health effects.
Process
We want this to be a collaborative and community-involved bill package. Please fill out this contact form to indicate your interest in being involved in Momnibus 2025.
So far: Launch Meeting on Nov 15, 2023
We had an enlightening launch meeting in November, with over 100 participants, featuring presentations from local experts who are doing the work. Take a look at the materials from our launch meeting: the agenda, our office's slides, Desha Reed-Holden's slides on the Portland Tri-County Black Futures Initiative, and Matthew Richardson's slides on Nurse Family Partnership. You can watch the recording of the November 15th Launch Meeting here (password to watch: rQ!+6b$e).
Next steps
We are looking toward a January meeting, and perhaps a steering committee. Rep. Reynolds is regularly meeting with stakeholders, service providers, people with lived experience, etc. Again, if you’d like to be involved, fill out this form. And if you have any questions, please email our office at Rep.LisaReynolds@oregonlegislature.gov. Also, consider signing up for Rep. Reynolds’ newsletter.
