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Senate committee backs 'Angel's Law' to expand perinatal bereavement support
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Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported SB 32, dubbed 'Angel's Law,' to create a perinatal bereavement initiative in LDH to provide cooling cots and bereavement training for hospitals; an amendment clarifying coverage for NICUs and maternity units was adopted and the bill was reported as amended.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee on March 11 reported SB 32, known as "Angel's Law," as amended, a bill that would establish a perinatal bereavement initiative in the Louisiana Department of Health to help hospitals obtain cooling beds and provide bereavement training for staff.
Sponsor Senator McMath said the measure was filed after a constituent, Christie Lamarck Bordelon, raised the example of Texas' Everly's Law. "The purpose of the bill is to establish a perinatal bereavement initiative within LDH's Office of Women and Community Health to assist hospitals in obtaining cooling beds and bereavement training to support families who have lost their babies," the sponsor said. The committee adopted amendment 6-53 to clarify language around cooling bed procurement, staff education and to extend the initiative to hospitals with NICUs as well as maternity units.
Several witnesses described the practical effect of the devices. Christie Lamarck Bordelon, a bereavement nurse navigator, told the committee that "infant cooling devices...give families the gift of time" and allow staff and families to create lasting memories. Jamie Strahl, whose daughter Heidi died during childbirth last year, told senators a cooling cot gave her family extra time: "It was a cooling cot...it was going to give me something I desperately needed, time." Strahl said that extra time allowed family members to meet the baby, take photographs and make keepsakes.
Committee members repeatedly described the bill as compassionate and practical. Senator Cloud and others raised questions about the fiscal note; proponents and senators noted private foundations and donors have funded devices in some hospitals and discussed drafting language to minimize the fiscal impact on state coffers. Senator Cloud referenced Texas' approach and the committee exchanged ideas about prioritizing hospitals with the greatest birth volume while using philanthropy to reduce state costs.
The amendment to SB 32 was adopted by voice consent, and the committee reported the bill as amended. Sponsors said they would accept coauthors as the bill moves toward the Senate floor.
