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Oregon Perinatal Collaborative seeks renewed funding to support rural maternity care and training
Summary
Supporters of Senate Bill 1039 told the committee the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative (OPC) has used prior state funding to expand statewide perinatal quality improvement, and requested $1.5 million for the 2025–27 biennium to continue and extend programs focusing on rural hospitals, simulation training and maternal morbidity prevention.
Senate Bill 1039 would establish the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative at Oregon Health & Science University and appropriate $1,500,000 from the general fund to the Oregon Health Authority for the 2025–27 biennium to support the collaborative’s work improving maternal and infant health.
Silke Akerson, executive director of the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative, told the committee OPC has expanded since the legislature’s initial core funding and now provides statewide initiatives on severe hypertension, substance‑use‑disorder care during pregnancy, newborn resuscitation and congenital syphilis prevention. Akerson said OPC has hired three full‑time staff, visited all 47 birthing hospitals in Oregon and leveraged additional federal and private grants.
Witnesses from hospitals, professional associations and community programs described how OPC assists lower‑volume and rural birth centers. Jennifer Pierce, nurse manager at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, said OPC created a quarterly meeting for low‑volume hospitals to share policies, simulation practices and clinical solutions and called OPC “crucial” for rural communities. Julia Tassett, an ACOG fellow and practicing OB‑GYN, cited national increases in maternal mortality and said OPC translates maternal‑mortality review findings into statewide quality initiatives.
Providence’s Mark Tomlinson noted the Oregon Maternal Data Center — which aggregates registry data and benchmarks outcomes — covers about 70 percent of birthing hospitals and 75 percent of deliveries in the state and provides “a source of truth” for quality tracking. Speakers asked lawmakers to renew funding with an increase targeted at rural supports and simulation, including a proposed mobile simulation unit to preserve emergency skills in low‑volume settings.
No committee vote occurred on Senate Bill 1039 during the informational session; witnesses concluded with an ask to “renew OPC funding and establish our existence with an Oregon statute.”
