2021 Maryland Statutes
Health - General
Title 20 - Miscellaneous Health Provisions
Subtitle 13 - Cultural and Linguistic Competency of Health Care Professionals
Section 20-1305 - Implicit Bias Training Program -- Recurring Training

    (a)    (1)    In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

        (2)    “Implicit bias” means a bias in judgment that results from subtle cognitive processes, including the following prejudices and stereotypes that often operate at a level below conscious awareness and without intentional control:

            (i)    Prejudicial negative feelings or beliefs about a group that an individual holds without being aware of the feelings or beliefs; and

            (ii)    Unconscious attributions of particular qualities to a member of a specific social group that are influenced by experience and based on learned associations between various qualities and social categories, including race and gender.

        (3)    “Perinatal care” means the provision of care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum and neonatal periods.

        (4)    “Perinatal care facility” includes:

            (i)    A hospital, as defined in § 19–301 of this article, that provides perinatal care; and

            (ii)    A freestanding birthing center, as defined in § 19–3B–01 of this article.

    (b)    (1)    On or before January 1, 2021, the Program shall establish an evidence–based implicit bias training program for all health care professionals involved in the perinatal care of patients in a perinatal care facility.

        (2)    (i)    The Program shall establish the implicit bias program required under paragraph (1) of this subsection using best practices in implicit bias training.

            (ii)    The implicit bias program required under paragraph (1) of this subsection may include best practices used in other states.

    (c)    On or before January 1, 2022, and once every 2 years thereafter or more frequently, as determined by the perinatal care facility, a health care professional who is an employee of, and involved in the perinatal care of patients at, a perinatal care facility shall complete the training established under subsection (b) of this section.

    (d)    The Program shall offer the training established under subsection (b) of this section to any health care professional involved in perinatal care of patients at a perinatal care facility who is not required to complete the training under subsection (c) of this section because the health care professional is not an employee of a perinatal care facility.