Governor Glenn Youngkin has about 100 bills on his desk that he’s still considering. One of those bills requires unconscious bias training for doctors.
The maternal mortality crisis among Black women has been an ongoing theme for members of the General Assembly, who have spent the last decade trying to do something about it. That’s why they were so pleased to hear Governor Glenn Youngkin say this in his annual State of the Commonwealth address.
“Disparities do exist within Black, Hispanic and tribal communities along with rural Virginians," Youngkin said. "We have much better data now as a result of my executive order last year and budget and legislative actions that I am proposing will enable us to embrace interventions to ensure healthy babies, healthy mothers and healthy communities.”
Now, the governor has a bill on his desk that would require unconscious bias training for health professionals. Earlier this month, the General Assembly rejected an amendment he proposed that would’ve limited that training to two hours. Delegate Cliff Hayes is a Democrat from Chesapeake who says the version of the bill now on his desk allows the Board of Medicine to determine how long the training should be.
“This is an opportunity for the governor to put his money where his mouth is," says Hayes. "Here is the opportunity to actually make those changes. This bill will address unconscious bias in our medical professions.”
The governor has until the end of next week to make a decision.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
