HRES236-119

That the House of Representatives— expresses support for the goals of a NICU Baby’s Bill of Rights supporting the needs of neonatal intensive care unit families and their babies; calls on health providers and other stakeholders to promote a family-centered approach to neonatal intensive care unit care, including the needs of babies as well as families to make the decisions that are right for them, including encouraging parents to be integrated into the daily care of their babies as much as possible; understands that parents are a neonatal intensive care unit baby’s best advocate, and asks hospitals to establish clear policies that prioritize parental or primary caregiver presence, integration, and collaboration, and involve family advocacy partners in the creation and development of such policies from the beginning of these discussions; encourages hospitals to embrace an informed consent model for important care decisions for all neonatal intensive care unit babies, including treatment care plans and infant nutrition for all neonatal intensive care unit babies, ensuring families are fully informed of the risks and benefits of all care options available, and empowering parents to make informed decisions on behalf of their child; emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive discharge planning process that includes family participation, ensuring the plan is tailored to the needs of each individual baby and family; and underscores the importance of mental health support for parents and family caregivers of neonatal intensive care unit babies, including connecting them to peer-to-peer support programs, support groups, and counseling, whether in person or virtual, to reduce the impact of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.