Requires DHS to establish three-year Obstetric Discrimination Prevention and Mitigation Pilot Program.*

S 700 requires New Jersey's Department of Health (DHS) to establish a three-year Obstetric Discrimination Prevention and Mitigation Pilot Program. The bill directly targets Black mothers, who face higher maternal mortality rates due to systemic discrimination in maternity care, as highlighted by CDC data showing Black women are 2.6 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. Key provisions mandate the pilot program to address obstetric discrimination - such as dismissal of concerns or biased treatment - as a safety issue in hospitals, moving beyond current systems that focus only on clinical outcomes. The program will develop tools to measure, prevent, and mitigate discrimination, aiming to improve care quality and safety for Black mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.