Maternal heath care measures in New York State Budget

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)----In Brooklyn on Thursday, Governor Hochul highlighted key aspects of the new state budget dealing with infant and maternal care.

"New York will be the first state in the nation to offer fully paid leave for prenatal care," said Hochul.

Employers will also have to offer paid breaks for breastfeeding mothers to pump. In addition, $250,000 is being allocated to establish a grant program to recruit and train doulas.

"They are really the coaches, the guides, the people that help mom—-the new mom to be, navigate through this system to help get them prepared for the delivery," said Assemblyman John McDonald.

Doula care is now reimbursable through Medicaid.

McDonald said it wasn’t until the Capital Region’s Burdett Birth Center was on the verge of closing, that he became more familiarized with the role doulas and midwives play.

"In certain communities, it’s been very clear over in Troy in Rensselaer County, that is the preferred method," explained McDonald. "At the end of the day, that stems from a long, long history in the black and brown community where there wasn’t a lot of trust for the medical system in total."

He said making sure mothers get the care they need early on is vital.

"If we can help moms get healthy throughout their pregnancy, it will have a major positive impact on reducing the needs for those types of situations where C-sections are necessary."

According to the governor, there are new measures that will crackdown on doctors who over use procedures, such as C-sections.