Brooklyn Boro

City Council will vote on bill to help parents of newborns

October 11, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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BROOKLYN & QUEENS — CITY COUNCIL IS SET TO PASS A LAW ON FRIDAY TO HELP PARENTS OF NEWBORNS pull through the “fourth trimester.” Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-34/Northern Brooklyn and Queens) introduced The Newborn Navigator Act to ensure new parents in New York have seamless access to essential resources during the critical postpartum period, often referred to as the “fourth trimester.” This legislation, which has the support of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, aims to tackle maternal mortality and improve access to postpartum services. Thnewe Newborn Navigator Act mandates the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene work in partnership with other agencies to provide comprehensive written materials and create a user-friendly online platform to assist parents with child safety, breastfeeding, mental health services and more. Parents will be provided these materials within 30 days to the address on file of the birth report. The online platform will include information on community-based organizations specializing in maternal health, with easy-to-use features for both parents and providers.

The act follows a string of bills championed by Gutiérrez that focus on improving maternal care and childcare access, including a recent bill providing mental health resources for new parents. It was partly inspired by a member of her staff who experienced first-hand the struggles of navigating parenthood without easy access to resources, notwithstanding her years of experience working in city government.

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