§ 1552. Maternal Mortality Review Panel established

(a) There is established the Maternal Mortality Review Panel to conduct comprehensive, multidisciplinary reviews of maternal deaths in Vermont for the purposes of identifying factors associated with the deaths and making recommendations for system changes to improve health care services for women in this State. The Panel shall consider health disparities and social determinants of health, including race and ethnicity in maternal death reviews.

(b)(1) The members of the Panel shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Health as follows:

(A) Two members from the Vermont section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, one of whom shall be a generalist obstetrician and one of whom shall be a maternal fetal medicine specialist.

(B) One member from the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, specializing in neonatology.

(C) One member from the Vermont chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

(D) One member who is a midwife licensed pursuant to 26 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 85.

(E) One member from the Vermont section of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

(F) The Director of the Division of Maternal and Child Health in the Vermont Department of Health or designee.

(G) An epidemiologist from the Department of Health with experience analyzing perinatal data or designee.

(H) The Chief Medical Examiner or designee.

(I) A representative of the community mental health centers.

(J) A member of the public.

(2) The Commissioner may appoint any of the following members to one-year terms:

(A) a licensed clinical provider specializing in substance use disorder;

(B) an expert in the pharmaceutical management of mental health; and

(C) a social worker.

(3) The Panel may consult experts as needed on a case by case basis. An expert consulted pursuant to this subdivision shall be subject to the same restrictions and protections as Panel members with regard to privacy, security, and the disclosure of information.

(c) The term of each member listed in subdivision (b)(1) of this section shall be three years and the terms shall be staggered. The Commissioner shall appoint the initial Chair of the Panel, who shall call the first meeting of the Panel and serve as Chair for six months, after which time the Panel shall elect its Chair.

(d) The Commissioner may delegate to the Northern New England Perinatal Quality Improvement Network (NNEPQIN) the functions of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating maternal mortality information; organizing and convening meetings of the Panel; and such other substantive and administrative tasks as may be incident to these activities. The activities of the NNEPQIN and its employees or agents shall be subject to the same confidentiality provisions as apply to members of the Panel.

(e) The Department may enter into reciprocal agreements with other states that have maternal mortality review panels provided access under such agreements is consistent with privacy, security, and disclosure protections in this chapter.

(f) The Panel’s review process shall not commence until any criminal prosecution arising out of the maternal mortality is concluded by the Attorney General and a State’s Attorney provides written notice to the Panel that no criminal charges shall be filed.

(g) Annually, on or before January 15, the Panel shall submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the House Committee on Human Services and to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, provided that releasing the information complies with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-191.

(h) Members of the Panel shall be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under 32 V.S.A. § 1010 for not more than three meetings annually. These payments shall be made from monies appropriated to the Department of Health. (Added 2011, No. 35, § 2, eff. May 18, 2011; amended 2019, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)