Sierra View Medical Center

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday the results of an investigation into anti-implicit bias training for pregnancy care providers, seeking to address racial disparities in patient care at birthing facilities.

To address higher rates of pregnancy-related mortality rates in Black patients, the law requires health care facilities to provide training for prenatal providers in eliminating implicit or unconscious racial biases and prejudices that could potentially impact quality of care, according to a news release from Bonta’s office.

“The disparity in maternal death rates in California reflects the deep and shameful racial inequities in our healthcare system,” stated Bonta. “In California, people of color, particularly Black women, continue to die at three to four times the rate of White women. This is unacceptable.”

In 2019 the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act (SB 464) passed, requiring health facilities to carry out the training.

In August 2021 the California Department of Justice (DOJ) began an investigation to determine compliance with training. It found that fewer than 17% of responding providers had begun to train employees, noting that no employees had finished the training.

Ten months later — June 2022 — the DOJ determined that 81% of employees had not only begun, but completed training, according to the Report on Healthcare Facilities and the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, which was released today.

A list of local birthing centers and their completion percentages by June 2022 can be found below:

• Saint Agnes Medical Center 100%
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• Kaweah Health Medical Center 100%
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• Sierra View Medical Center 97.9%
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• Adventist Health Reedley 92.2%
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• Community Regional Medical Center 88.9%
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• Clovis Community Medical Center 83.6%
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• Kaiser Permanente Fresno 64.7%
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• Madera Community Hospital 39.4%

 

Jeffery Hudson, vice president of patient care services and chief nurse executive at Sierra View Medical Center (SVMC) in Porterville, said the organization has made significant efforts toward training compliance with nurses and other positions.

“SVMC is in agreement with DOJ that this represents a crucial step towards improving infant and maternal health outcomes.” Hudson said in a statement.

He said his staff is committed to continued training for new and current employees.

All but two Central Valley facilities met 70% compliance or higher by June 2022. Only one facility, Madera Community Hospital, scored lower than 50%. The hospital closed its doors due to financial issues in December 2022.