Research has established that approximately 700 women lose their lives every year due to pregnancy-related complications. In addition, more than 50,000 women also tend to face both long and short-term severe outcomes to their health due to labor or pregnancy. In this regard, there has been increasing attention on the existing racial disparities in maternal health alongside gaps in health services granted to women in rural communities. Effort to overcome the situation has brought about the enactment of the MOMS bill that aims to find a solution to the increasing mortality rate among women in rural areas. The paper focuses on the bill’s major provisions, supporters, and effect on nursing practice.
The enactment of the rural MOMS bill is founded on the healthcare outcomes of all expectant mothers living in rural American communities. The bill highlights that rural mothers equally deserve similar care standards as those in urban areas. Its legislation is meant to amend the service act to enhance obstetric care, particularly in rural areas. According to recent research, there exists an alarmingly high rate of maternal deaths, which must be put into proper control in the 21st century (Peckover & Aston, 2018). In this regard, adequate efforts to enhance maternal services and provide better training to nurses who serve these women must be implemented. The passage of this act will take concrete steps aimed at addressing the root cause of the problem.
In addition to the above provisions of the bill, the rural network in obstetric would be awarded to help create regional connections that aid in curbing maternal death rates. The act will also help to expand the existing federal grant programs to include postnatal and birth services. In this case, federal funds would help acquire ultrasound systems and improve other maternal-related technology. Moreover, the act aims at improving maternal reporting in rural areas by identifying existing gaps. Disparities here range from r ethnicity to, race among other maternal breaches in rural areas. In the effort to address maternal mortality, the act has attracted several stakeholders. In 2019, Congress came up with a maternal health bloc for black-led by duo congresswomen who aimed at coming up with a clear policy to address issues facing black mothers (Acquaviva, 2017). Besides, champions of procedures such as RMCA are also key stakeholders in support of the act.
The bill is likely to change the nature of nursing practice as nurses will be required to attend compulsory training that aims at equipping them with the necessary skills to improve health for women living in rural communities. In this training, nurses will acquire skills from tile-health and medicine to help them continue with the care programs before and after delivery. As a result, nurses are required to be updated in technological advancement as it arises. The desired change will be realized through programmed in-service training as well as adding new education components for upcoming nurses. Besides, by establishing telehealth centers in rural areas, some maternal caregivers will be required to relocate from their usual operation places to operate the facilities. The practice will help improve nurses’ ability to provide quality virtual consultations and training throughout their nursing license.
Despite the above act benefits, it has received significant opposition, particularly from Republicans. Some of them held that the practice was meant to bring more benefits to blacks. Since the initial move to protect women involved black movements, there is still a misconception that the act benefits the same group. In this regard, the opposing side holds that existing facilities in rural areas are enough to take care of available few maternal needs. The argument has brought about serious debate due to the increased rate of maternal death. Supporters of the bill suggest that rural communities fall short of good maternal care due to shortages in the workforce alongside stingy medical plans. Research establishes that rural communities with African Americans are ten times more likely to have women who had no experience in obstetric hospital services.
To aid in the passage of the MOMS legislation, nurses must give factual information about the severe situation affecting women in rural communities without bias. In addition, nurses need to express their willingness to undertake relevant courses to equip them with the necessary skills to help women in rural areas. Their cooperation in joining the classes will speed up the entire process at the implementation stage. Moreover, nurses must accommodate the probable effects of a shift in workstations to remote locations and other costs that the change may bring about.
In conclusion, it is now clear that maternal care distance is entirely correlated to the devastating health conditions of both the infant and the mother in rural areas. As a result, many babies in rural areas are born away from hospitals or in facilities that lack obstetric care hence increasing mortality rates. Although efforts have been made to enhance rural hospitals in the recent past, research has established that the maternal mortality rate is still high. The high rate can be attributed to multiple factors ranging from the overstretched facility to shortage in the workforce alongside other conditions.
References
Acquaviva, K. D. (2017). LGBTQ-inclusive hospice and palliative care: A practical guide to transforming professional practice. Columbia University Press.
Peckover, S., & Aston, M. (2018). Examining the social construction of surveillance: A critical issue for health visitors and public health nurses working with mothers and children.Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(1-2), e379-e389. Web.