Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs Act of 2022
Floor Speech
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2521) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2521
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs Act of 2022'' or the ``DOULA for VA Act of 2022''. SEC. 2. FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY STUDY ON DOULA SUPPORT FOR VETERANS.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a study on the feasibility and advisability of furnishing doula services to covered vetearns. Such study shall include an analysis of--
(1) measures taken by other Federal, State, and local entities to ensure the appropriate certification of doulas; and
(2) the extent to which such measures, or similar measures, may be adequate for purposes of such furnishment.
(b) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the findings of the study under subsection (a) that shall include a determination by the Secretary as to whether furnishing doula services to covered veterans is feasible and advisable.
(c) Covered Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered veteran'' means a pregnant veteran or a formerly pregnant veteran (with respect to doula services to be furnished post-partum) who is enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code.
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Mr. TAKANO. 2521, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2521, as amended, the DOULA for VA Act of 2022. This bill, authored and long championed by Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, would bring VA closer to providing the full scope of reproductive healthcare that our veterans and their newborns deserve. This bill would require VA conduct a feasibility and advisability study to determine whether to provide pregnant veterans access to doula support services.
The United States has a maternal mortality crisis, and our veterans are not protected from it. In fact, they are disproportionately more likely to experience severe maternal mental health outcomes than their civilian counterparts.
There is a growing body of research that shows that doula care is an effective tool in mitigating pre and postpartum mental health crises and can be a factor in reducing childbirth complications. The VA must investigate the ability to provide such holistic and effective care.
Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill.
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Mr. TAKANO. 2521 and my good friend, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Oversight and Reform Committee.
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I again ask my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2521, as amended. With a heavy heart, I take this moment to pay tribute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence). She has joined us on Veterans Affairs' codels and done factfinding on behalf of the committee for the betterment of our veterans. I thank her for that, and I wish her the best of the new opportunities that she will encounter after she leaves this body.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2521, DOULA for VA Act of 2021--to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans.
Doulas provide emotional and physical support to pregnant people during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. A doula will assist during birth by providing a positive and safe birthing experience.
Studies show that when doulas are present in the birthing process labors are shorter, it is less likely that a C-section will be needed, there are less requests for pain medication, and there is a more positive childbirth experience.
In 2013, the Journal of Perinatal Education conducted a study which found that expectant mothers matched with a doula had better birth outcomes than did mothers who gave birth without involvement of a doula.
Doulas work to develop birthing plans, help the parent understand labor and delivery procedures, communicate preferences to the medical staff, and teach relaxation and breathing skills, along with many other non-clinical tasks that improve the birthing experience.
Currently, Veterans Affairs benefits do not cover doulas.
Improving the childbirth experience should be a priority for us all. Veterans and their family members deserve to have positive birthing experiences, just as all Amencans do.
Maternal mortality is an issue that continues to plague the United States health care system. In 2020, 861 women died of maternal causes in the United States. In the U.S., two-thirds of those pregnancy- related deaths are preventable and for every pregnancy-related death, there are 70 pregnancy-related near-death experiences. It's extremely important that we remove barriers in health care that may be contributing to these deaths.
Maternal mortality is caused by several issues such as cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, blood clots, and complications of labor and delivery.
One step to removing health care barriers is to provide more services such as doulas who can advocate for the parent and provide positive birthing experiences.
From 2010 through 2015, the use of maternity services from the Veterans Health Administration increased by 44 percent.
If doula services are improving care for the general public, then veterans should be provided with the opportunity to utilize doula services as well.
A study in 2010 found that veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom who experienced pregnancy were twice as likely to have a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia as compared to those who had not experienced a pregnancy.
H.R. 2521, Doula for VA Act of 2021 is important because we should be working to improve the lives of women and children in the United States. This bill directly impacts the health of veterans and their families.
I know that this bill is important to my constituents in Houston. Over 282,000 Veterans live in the Houston area, and almost 25,000 Veterans in Houston are women. Improving the birthing experience for these women is a top priority to me.
I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical bill that will direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans.
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