This month, Ocoee State Representative Kamia Brown received the inaugural “Champions for Children” award from Nemours Children’s Hospital. Rep. Brown was awarded for her work on extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60-days to a full year. There is roughly $240 million assigned in the budget toward this cause.
“This work is so necessary because in saving our mommas, we’re saving our babies and our children too,” said Representative Brown. “Our communities are hurting because moms are not living long enough to be moms. With this extension, I hope that we strengthen continued care for moms and babies and significantly reduce health disparities for black women during the postpartum period.”
State Rep. Brown has been very successful on healthcare issues. Also this month, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, which she sponsored, was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. The legislation aims to close the gap in ethnic and minority health disparities by outlining the focus areas of the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, which received $9.2 million in funding in this year’s budget.
Rep. Brown’s legislation passed unanimously on the House floor. She also filed three other bills which aim to help improve minority health issues, including those that address black maternal health disparities. The bills are: HB 183 Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, HB 1381 Maternal Health Care Outcomes, and HB 1383 Maternal Health Care Services.
