California Bill Mandates Implicit Bias Training for Perinatal Healthcare Professionals

California’s new Senate Bill 464, known as the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, requires implicit bias training for all healthcare professionals working in perinatal services. The bill also contains state reporting requirements to track outcomes for pregnant women, and mandates hospitals and birth centers to provide information on how patients can file discrimination complaints. This new legislation makes California the first state in the U.S. to require implicit bias training for perinatal healthcare professionals.

According to a recent report from the National Conference of State Legislatures, African American women are three to four times more likely to die during or as a result of childbirth than non-Hispanic white women. The maternal mortality rate for African American women is 42 per 100,000 live births. For non-Hispanic white women, the rate is 12 per 100,000. The disparity in this rate has remained unchanged for six decades. In response to this and other data, several states across the nation implemented maternal mortality review committees in 2019, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, New Jersey, and Virginia.