Equal Employment Agency Urging Businesses To Back New Pregnancy Law
EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows encouraged feedback on how workplaces would be affected, as well as ways to assist employers and workers in understanding the law. Other reproductive health news is on the postpartum depression pill, the closing of maternity wards, and more.
Reuters:
New Pregnancy Bias Law Broadly Protects Workers, US Agency Says
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Monday proposed a rule endorsing a broad application of a new federal law extending stronger legal protections to pregnant workers. The EEOC proposal is designed to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which took effect last month after President Joe Biden signed it into law late last year. The commission is tasked with enforcing the law. ... The commission in Monday's proposal listed a slew of accommodations that workers may seek under the law, including part-time or modified work schedules, more frequent breaks, modified equipment and uniforms, seating, remote work, and paid or unpaid leave. (Wiessner, 8/7)
More news about the pill for postpartum depression —
The Boston Globe:
Drug Makers Postpone Pricing Of New Postpartum Depression Pill
A pair of Cambridge drug makers Monday postponed setting a price for their newly approved pill to treat postpartum depression as they weighed the financial impact of a US regulatory decision to reject the pill’s use for the more widespread condition of major depressive disorder. (Weisman, 8/7)
The Washington Post:
What New Parents Need To Know About Groundbreaking Postpartum Treatment
The Washington Post asked clinicians what pregnant people and their families should know both about Zurzuvae, its symptoms and its treatment of postpartum depression. (Felton, 8/7)
Stat:
Sage Considers Ways To Reduce Costs Following FDA Rejection
Sage Therapeutics said Monday that it may need to reduce costs, including through employee layoffs, following the Food and Drug Administration’s denial of its rapid-acting drug for major depressive disorder. On Friday, the agency granted market clearance for the drug, called Zurzuvae, to treat women with postpartum depression, a smaller commercial market. Sage failed to convince regulators to also approve the drug for depression, a broader condition. (Trang, 8/7)
In other reproductive health news —
The Boston Globe:
Leominster Hospital To Close Its Maternity Ward. Will That Harm Care?
The closure of inpatient maternity services at UMass Memorial Health - HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, formerly known as Leominster Hospital, has splintered the community. So far, it has resulted in two protests, the creation of a Facebook group, and hours of testimony at a Department of Public Health hearing last month contesting the need to shutter the service. Local pediatricians oppose the closure, which is slated for Sept. 23, saying it would hurt local residents. (Bartlett and Mohammed, 8/7)
Fox News:
Male Health Care Leaders Complete ‘Simulated Breastfeeding Challenge’ At Texas Hospital: ‘Huge Eye-Opener’
To commemorate World Breastfeeding Week, which was the first week of August, a group of male health care leaders at Covenant Health participated in a "simulated breastfeeding challenge," as FOX34 reported. Covenant Health is a Christian health network located in Lubbock, Texas. For four days, the men simulated the act of breastfeeding every three hours for 20-minute stints, the report stated. They summarized their daily experiences in video diaries. (Rudy, 8/7)
KFF Health News:
Amid Lack Of Accountability For Bias In Maternity Care, A California Family Seeks Justice
Aniya was ready to leave. She was dressed in a fuzzy white onesie her mother had packed for her first trip home. Yet Aniya’s family had more questions than answers as they cradled the newborn out of the hospital, her mother’s body left behind. April Valentine, a 31-year-old Black mother, died while giving birth in Inglewood, California, on January 10. Her family has raised questions of improper care: Why didn’t nurses investigate numbness and swelling in her leg, symptoms she reported at least 10 times over the course of 15 hours? Why did it take nearly 20 hours for her doctor to see her after she arrived at the hospital already in labor? (Kwon, 8/8)
Stat:
Discs Beat Pads, Tampons For Heavy Menstrual Flow, New Study Shows
There are many period products on the market from pads, tampons and cups to discs. Yet, there is a dearth of reliable information about how much menstrual blood they can hold — a useful metric for clinicians as well as consumers. Heavy menstrual bleeding affects up to a third of people who menstruate and that can only be diagnosed using traditional menstrual products like pads and tampons. However, as more people use non-traditional products, clinicians are looking for data to advise patients on what would be the best product to absorb heavy menstrual flow. (Balthazar, 8/7)
