14148.9. (Amended (as added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 278) by Stats. 2006, Ch. 538, Sec. 706.)
(a)The Legislature finds and declares that there is a…#
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that there is a strong statistical relationship between early entry into prenatal care and healthy birth outcomes. An investment in early intervention is highly cost-effective and prevents untold suffering.
(b)It is the intent of the Legislature that the goals of…#
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the goals of the program established pursuant to this article, in combination with other programs for pregnant women and children, shall be as follows:
(1) To improve access to and quality of prenatal care by making existing programs serving poor women more accessible through outreach, coordination, and removal of barriers to care.
(2) To combine efforts with other programs to measurably reduce the number of women who smoke, use drugs, or engage in other unhealthy practices during pregnancy.
(c)In order to achieve these goals, it is the intent of…#
(c) In order to achieve these goals, it is the intent of the Legislature to improve and coordinate existing programs for pregnant women and infants and to remove barriers to care with an intense focus on women who are at high risk of delivering a low or high birth weight baby or a baby who will suffer from major health problems or disabilities.