Advocacy Correspondence: PA Senate, PA Provider Advocacy Coalition Support for Senate Bill 507

October 20, 2025

Honorable Members of the Pennsylvania Senate:

The undersigned organizations, which are part of a collaborative group known as the Pennsylvania Provider Advocacy Coalition, are writing to express our support for Senate Bill 507 Printers No. 1158, sponsored by Senator Rosemary Brown.

SB 507 would increase access to and modernize maternal care delivery in Pennsylvania by proving licensure for certified midwives and permitting certified midwives and certified nurse midwives to prescribe treatment for opioid use disorder.

Provider organizations across the commonwealth share concern about the growing challenges patients face in accessing timely, high-quality maternal health care. Many communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas, struggle to recruit and retain qualified maternal health professionals, resulting in gaps in prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. Establishing a licensure pathway for certified midwives will expand the pool of qualified providers available to serve Pennsylvania families and strengthen multidisciplinary care teams that support safe, patient-centered maternal health services.

SB 507 also addresses an important component of improving maternal health outcomes: supporting behavioral health needs. Substance use disorder is one of the leading contributors to maternal mortality in Pennsylvania. By allowing both Certified Midwives and Certified Professional Nurse Midwives, under collaborative agreements, to prescribe medications for opioid use disorder, this legislation promotes continuity of care and reduces the risk of relapse, overdose, and preventable deaths among pregnant and postpartum patients.

SB 507 represents a balanced, evidence-based approach to improving access to care, addressing workforce shortages, and supporting healthier outcomes for mothers and infants.

The members of the Pennsylvania Provider Advocacy Coalition appreciate the General Assembly’s continued attention to issues that affect patient access to care and the health care workforce. We respectfully urge your support for SB 507 (Printer’s No. 1158) as an important step toward improving maternal and infant health outcomes across the commonwealth.

Sincerely,

 

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Topics: Public Health, State Advocacy

Revision Date: 10/20/2025

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