(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — On Monday, Representative Lauren Underwood’s (IL-14) bipartisan NIH IMPROVE Act passed unanimously in the House. As 314 Action’s Guardians of Public Health National Co-chair and a registered nurse, Rep. Underwood leads the charge in advancing pro-science legislation in Congress.
“Representative Lauren Underwood’s work proves that when we elect healthcare professionals and scientists, we save lives,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action. “As the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress, Rep. Underwood embodies the idea that scientific expertise belongs in Washington. We’re proud of her bipartisan efforts to appropriate critical research funding and tackle America’s maternal mortality crisis.”
Rep. Underwood announces the passage of the NIH IMPROVE Act
Key Points:
- Rep. Underwood’s bill stems from the NIH’s 2019 bipartisan Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative.
- The NIH Improve Act would:
- Authorize $73.4M annually for six years to carry out the IMPROVE Initiative and support research on potential causes of maternal mortality and severe morbidity.
- Approve research that would target disparities associated with maternal mortality and severe morbidity and aim to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths.
- Additionally, the bill would also build an evidence base for improved care and outcomes in underserved maternal care deserts.
- In the face of the United States’s worsening maternal mortality rate––where a staggering 80% of deaths are ultimately preventable––the IMPROVE Initiative backs research to eliminate the causes of preventable deaths and produce evidence-based solutions.
- “Since 2019, IMPROVE has invested more than $200 million in life-saving research that will help end our nation’s maternal health crisis,” Rep. Underwood notes. “Our bipartisan NIH IMPROVE Act will advance maternal health research by permanently authorizing funding for IMPROVE, making sure that NIH can continue this critical work.”
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314 Action is the only national organization working to recruit, train and elect Democratic scientists across all levels of government—from the Senate down to local school boards. The organization is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people supporting scientists and health care professionals who will use science and facts to address the most urgent issues facing our generation.