Senate Bill 695 would direct Oregon coordinated care organizations to bolster maternal, infant and early‑childhood services, witnesses say

At a Feb. 25 public hearing before the Oregon Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health, multiple health‑care leaders, early‑learning hub directors and advocates described Senate Bill 695 (SB 695) as a vehicle to unify local systems and improve outcomes for pregnant people and children in the first years of life.

Seamus McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of Yamhill Community Care, told the committee SB 695 would require each community to develop and implement a "whole person maternal health model" that includes substance‑use treatment, enrollment help for poverty‑reduction benefits, doula and peer support, connection to home‑visiting programs and tracking of clinical metrics such as cesarean rates. "Senate bill 695 requires each community to develop and implement over the next 10 years its own whole person…