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Subcommittee advances bill to modernize Virginia neonatal care regulations to align with AAP standards
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Summary
SB 291 would update Virginia's neonatal care level regulations to align with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations; the bill includes a three-year delayed enactment to allow hospitals time to comply. Neonatologists and hospital groups testified in support and the subcommittee moved the bill forward.
Senate Bill 291 would modernize state regulations that define neonatal levels of care, aligning Virginia's standards with evidence-based recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and updating rules that sponsors said have not been revised since the mid-1990s.
The sponsor said the legislation is intended to reduce ambiguous definitions that can lead hospitals to apply inconsistent staffing, respiratory support, imaging and surgical-backup standards. "High risk newborns do better when delivered and treated in appropriately resourced centers, and low-risk infants do better when cared for closer to home," neonatologist Joseph Khoury told the committee.
Witnesses from the Virginia Academy of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Richmond, Children's National Hospital and the Medical Society of Virginia supported the bill and emphasized patient safety and uniform standards across institutions. The bill includes a three-year delayed enactment (until 2029) proposed to give hospitals time to develop or confirm compliance with updated rules.
The subcommittee voted to advance SB 291; members recorded unanimous support in the subcommittee. Regulatory development and stakeholder engagement were identified as next steps before final implementation.
