A Panhandle mother who lost her son during delivery at a birth center two years ago is now working with Florida lawmakers on a bipartisan bill with sweeping new protections for mothers who face tragedy during an out-of-hospital delivery. Athena Riley says her midwife failed to call for a timely hospital transfer after learning of the baby’s breech position. Her story was reported in a USA Today Network investigation called “Failure to Deliver.” She organized a summit in July based on the findings of the newspaper series to discuss possible reforms. The proposed legislation seeks more accurate reporting of these cases and would require birth certificates and fetal death certificates to include information on whether the death was part of a planned out-of-hospital delivery — or whether the mother or newborn were transferred to a hospital from another birth setting. The investigation by the USA Today Network and Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2018 found these deliveries to be eight times more deadly than traditional hospital births.

A Panhandle mother who lost her son during delivery at a birth center two years ago is now working with Florida lawmakers on a bipartisan bill with sweeping new protections for mothers who face tragedy during an out-of-hospital delivery. Athena Riley says her midwife failed to call for a timely hospital transfer after learning of the baby&rsquo;s breech position. Her story was reported in a USA Today Network investigation called &ldquo;Failure to Deliver.&rdquo; She organized a summit in July based on the findings of the newspaper series to discuss possible reforms. The proposed legislation seeks more accurate reporting of these cases and would require birth certificates and fetal death certificates to include information on whether the death was part of a planned out-of-hospital delivery &mdash; or whether the mother or newborn were transferred to a hospital from another birth setting. The investigation by the USA Today Network and Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2018 found these deliveries to be eight times more deadly than traditional hospital births.

News briefs from the state of Florida.

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News Briefs from the state of Florida.

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Florida - USA Today Network’s midwife investigation sparks legislation to protect mothers

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