Why Senate Bill 19 Could Change Women’s Health Outcomes in Southern Maryland

Southern Maryland may be one step closer to expanded women’s health services.

Senate Bill 19, sponsored by Senator Ellis, proposes the creation of the Maryland

Commission on Women’s Health Advancement. The commission would be tasked with studying the feasibility of establishing a state women’s hospital in Southern Maryland, as well as a statewide clinical network to advance women’s health care.

The commission, composed of members from the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC), would be required to submit a final report outlining its findings and recommendations on:

• The need for a women’s hospital

• Funding and long-term sustainability

• Location

• Implementation plan

• Structure of both the hospital and the clinical network

  
  

The final report would be due December 1, 2032, if the bill passes.

Why This Matters

As a resident of Southern Maryland, I have seen firsthand how limited access to specialized women’s health care can be extremely dangerous, especially during pregnancy.

In 2016, during my first pregnancy, I presented to my local hospital for vaginal bleeding at 21 weeks gestation. I waited for hours to be seen by the doctors and even more hours before I was transferred to a higher-level hospital that could provide appropriate care. The weather was severe, making air transport unsafe, so I had to wait for ground transportation.

Thirty minutes into a two-hour drive, my water broke and I spent the duration of the ride, cold, wet and afraid that my son was going to die.  And a few hours later, my son was born with a beating heart. Because of his gestational age, I was told there was nothing that could be done. And so he died.

In 2019, I gave birth again in a Southern Maryland hospital at 25 weeks gestation via emergency. My son weighed just 650 grams. Once again, I should have been flown out but there was no time. The medical team was unable to intubate him. My son received manual ventilation for over an hour until a flight team from another hospital arrived, intubated him, and transported him to their facility.

The Questions That Stay With Me

Sometimes I wonder:

• Would either outcome have been different if I had lived closer to a hospital equipped to manage extreme preterm labor?

• Would my now six-year-old have so many complex medical conditions if specialized care had been immediately available?

• Would my son who died have had more of a fighting chance if transfer delays weren’t part of the equation?

  
  

These are not abstract questions. They are the lived reality for many families in maternity care deserts.

Why Policy Like This Matters

Access to timely, specialized maternal and neonatal care saves lives. When women must wait for transfers - or deliver in facilities that are not equipped to manage high-risk pregnancies - the consequences can be devastating.

Senate Bill 19 represents an opportunity to:

• Address maternal health inequities

• Improve perinatal and neonatal outcomes

• Reduce dangerous delays in care for families in Southern Maryland

  
  

As this commission conducts its work, families directly impacted by these gaps must remain at the center of the conversation.

Because for many of us, this isn’t theoretical - it’s personal.

Why I’m Watching This Policy

I’ll continue to follow legislation, research, and policy decisions that impact maternal and infant health, especially those affecting NICU families and underserved communities.