Right Patient, right place, right time. This is a phrase commonly used in emergency medical care, and applies to the needs of moms in New Hampshire.

Right patient: our hospital, medical, and social systems have to serve pregnant, birthing and postpartum moms. Right place: Moms need access to care close to home and from providers and peers in their community. Right time: moms need to be screened early and throughout postpartum and provided access to mental health treatment. As a mom, a paramedic, and a state senator representing the Upper Valley, I know the challenges facing moms in rural areas. Most of my clinical career I spent serving in the more rural areas of New Hampshire, so I have seen the challenges first hand. That is why I co-sponsored Momnibus 2.0, or SB 246. Momnibus 2.0 ensures New Hampshire moms receive the care they need where and when they need it.

As maternity care deserts spread across the U.S, Granite Staters are facing threats to our already-fragile maternal health ecosystem. New Hampshire has seen in the last two decades 11 out of 26 acute care hospitals close their maternity wards. Additionally, birthing centers are closing their doors. Deliveries have become regional instead of local, which affects care and creates barriers. Momnibus 2.0 paves the path to solving these issues by having the Department of Health and Human services study barriers that are closing birthing centers.

Momnibus 2.0 trains EMS providers on maternal health. Training EMS is critical to ensuring moms get the help they need, when they need it.

On top of access issues, moms have a hard time finding the right provider to discuss and treat their mental health. This leaves them feeling isolated and not receiving proper mental health support. OBGYNs and pediatricians who often see pregnant patients and postpartum moms are not all experts in maternal mental health and may need additional support to screen, refer and treat the families they care for. Momnibus 2.0 creates a provider-to-provider call line so providers can speak to other providers who are experts in maternal mental health and get advice on serving their patients.

To reduce the feeling of isolation and other maternal mental health complications, Momnibus 2.0 begins the process of expanding peer support in New Hampshire. This way, moms can better support other moms.

Momnibus 2.0 improves well-being and allows our moms and babies to thrive. When New Hampshire moms and babies thrive, New Hampshire families thrive. Families are the backbone of New Hampshire, which is why we need Momnibus 2.0. Momnibus 2.0 improves maternal mental health, strengthens workforce protections, expands family supports and supports moms across New Hampshire. We needs Momnibus 2.0 to ensure that moms are the right patient, are in the right place, and receive care at the right time.

State Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon, represents Senate District 5.