§ 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 members of the Panel shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Health as follows:

(1) 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.

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

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

(4) One member who is a midwife licensed pursuant to 26 V.S.A. chapter 85.

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

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

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

(8) The Chief Medical Examiner or designee.

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

(10) A member of the public.

(b) The term of each member 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. Members of the Panel shall receive no compensation.

(c) 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. (Added 2011, No. 35, § 2, eff. May 18, 2011.)