Support H.R. 1966 to Help Mothers and Babies in Underserved Communities
Support H.R. 1966 to Help Mothers and Babies in Underserved Communities
The Issue
Many mothers in underserved communities have problems getting prenatal care and postpartum care. Many of these mothers cannot get the care they need because of transportation, childcare, insurance, language barriers, or not enough OB-GYN providers near them (Bellerose et al., 2022; Kearney et al., 2025). Work schedules and long travel distances can also make it difficult to attend appointments. These problems do not mean these mothers do not care about their health. Many mothers want care but still have barriers that make care difficult to reach.
The maternal mortality rate in the United States increased from 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018 to 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022. Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of color are also affected at higher rates than White women (Kang et al., 2024; Kearney et al., 2025). These differences show that not all mothers have the same access to safe maternal care they deserve.
H.R. 1966, the Mamas and Babies in Underserved Communities Act of 2025, can help address this problem. The bill would allow the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide grants to public and nonprofit healthcare providers serving low-income, rural, minority, and medically underserved communities (U.S. Congress, 2025).
The grants could support prenatal care, postnatal care for babies, and postpartum care for mothers during the first 12 months after birth. The bill also supports culturally and linguistically appropriate care. It gives priority to programs that are located in and understand the communities they serve (U.S. Congress, 2025).
As a labor and delivery nurse, I see how barriers can affect mothers and babies. Nurses see patients who come late for prenatal appointments, patients who miss follow up appointments, do not understand discharge instructions, or cannot find support after leaving the hospital. Some of these mothers need more than medical care. They may need transportation help, an interpreter, a patient navigator, childcare support, or help finding community resources (Green et al., 2023).
These barriers can affect patient care and the healthcare system. When mothers cannot receive early care, they may return to the hospital with problems or complications that could have been treated sooner. Nurses may spend more time trying to find resources after problems have already developed. Better access and care coordination can help patients receive support before the situation becomes more serious.
H.R. 1966 cannot solve every maternal health problem by itself. Funding must be used for services that mothers can actually reach and use. Grant programs should include transportation support, interpreters, patient navigation, flexible communication, trained healthcare workers, and connections with community services.
Nurses can help by educating families, identifying barriers, making referrals, and speaking to lawmakers. Nurses do not need to know everything about politics to advocate for their patients. We can explain what we see and ask for a specific change.
We are asking members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support H.R. 1966 and help move the bill forward. We are asking Congress to provide the funding needed to make these maternal health services available in underserved communities.
Please sign this petition to support better prenatal, postpartum, and infant care for mothers and babies who need more help.
How This Petition Will Be Shared
This petition will be shared with nurses, nursing students, maternal health organizations, community groups, social workers, doulas, healthcare providers, mothers and families. I will share the petition through email, WhatsApp, social media, nursing education, and community groups. The petition link will be sent to my Representative Andrew Ogles and other members of Congress to show that nurses and community members support H.R. 1966.
Sources:
Bellerose, M., Rodriguez, M., and Vivier, P. M. (2022). A systematic review of the qualitative literature on barriers to high-quality prenatal and postpartum care among low-income women. Health Services Research, 57, 775–785.
Green, H. M., et al. (2023). Implementation of postpartum navigation for low-income individuals at an urban academic medical center. PLOS ONE, 18(2), e0282048.
Kang, E., et al. (2024). Characterizing the utilization of doula support services among birthing people of color in the United States: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 24, 1588.
Kearney, M. D., et al. (2025). Assessing family medicine obstetrics training needs to strengthen maternal health in underserved and rural U.S. communities. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16, 1–13.
U.S. Congress. (2025). H.R. 1966- Mamas and Babies in Underserved Communities Act of 2025. Congress.gov.
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The Issue
Many mothers in underserved communities have problems getting prenatal care and postpartum care. Many of these mothers cannot get the care they need because of transportation, childcare, insurance, language barriers, or not enough OB-GYN providers near them (Bellerose et al., 2022; Kearney et al., 2025). Work schedules and long travel distances can also make it difficult to attend appointments. These problems do not mean these mothers do not care about their health. Many mothers want care but still have barriers that make care difficult to reach.
The maternal mortality rate in the United States increased from 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018 to 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022. Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of color are also affected at higher rates than White women (Kang et al., 2024; Kearney et al., 2025). These differences show that not all mothers have the same access to safe maternal care they deserve.
H.R. 1966, the Mamas and Babies in Underserved Communities Act of 2025, can help address this problem. The bill would allow the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide grants to public and nonprofit healthcare providers serving low-income, rural, minority, and medically underserved communities (U.S. Congress, 2025).
The grants could support prenatal care, postnatal care for babies, and postpartum care for mothers during the first 12 months after birth. The bill also supports culturally and linguistically appropriate care. It gives priority to programs that are located in and understand the communities they serve (U.S. Congress, 2025).
As a labor and delivery nurse, I see how barriers can affect mothers and babies. Nurses see patients who come late for prenatal appointments, patients who miss follow up appointments, do not understand discharge instructions, or cannot find support after leaving the hospital. Some of these mothers need more than medical care. They may need transportation help, an interpreter, a patient navigator, childcare support, or help finding community resources (Green et al., 2023).
These barriers can affect patient care and the healthcare system. When mothers cannot receive early care, they may return to the hospital with problems or complications that could have been treated sooner. Nurses may spend more time trying to find resources after problems have already developed. Better access and care coordination can help patients receive support before the situation becomes more serious.
H.R. 1966 cannot solve every maternal health problem by itself. Funding must be used for services that mothers can actually reach and use. Grant programs should include transportation support, interpreters, patient navigation, flexible communication, trained healthcare workers, and connections with community services.
Nurses can help by educating families, identifying barriers, making referrals, and speaking to lawmakers. Nurses do not need to know everything about politics to advocate for their patients. We can explain what we see and ask for a specific change.
We are asking members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support H.R. 1966 and help move the bill forward. We are asking Congress to provide the funding needed to make these maternal health services available in underserved communities.
Please sign this petition to support better prenatal, postpartum, and infant care for mothers and babies who need more help.
How This Petition Will Be Shared
This petition will be shared with nurses, nursing students, maternal health organizations, community groups, social workers, doulas, healthcare providers, mothers and families. I will share the petition through email, WhatsApp, social media, nursing education, and community groups. The petition link will be sent to my Representative Andrew Ogles and other members of Congress to show that nurses and community members support H.R. 1966.
Sources:
Bellerose, M., Rodriguez, M., and Vivier, P. M. (2022). A systematic review of the qualitative literature on barriers to high-quality prenatal and postpartum care among low-income women. Health Services Research, 57, 775–785.
Green, H. M., et al. (2023). Implementation of postpartum navigation for low-income individuals at an urban academic medical center. PLOS ONE, 18(2), e0282048.
Kang, E., et al. (2024). Characterizing the utilization of doula support services among birthing people of color in the United States: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 24, 1588.
Kearney, M. D., et al. (2025). Assessing family medicine obstetrics training needs to strengthen maternal health in underserved and rural U.S. communities. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16, 1–13.
U.S. Congress. (2025). H.R. 1966- Mamas and Babies in Underserved Communities Act of 2025. Congress.gov.
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Petition created on August 1, 2026