Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a winter storm briefing in Latham on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Mike Groll/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul)

Gov. Kathy Hochul is hoping to improve outcomes for new mothers and their children in New York by directing state funding to a number of programs aimed at providing better healthcare for them.

On Thursday, Hochul announced a six-point plan to combat maternal and infant deaths, following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that found infant death rates in the U.S. have spiked recently.

“We are facing a maternal and infant mortality crisis,” she said in a press conference in New York City. “As New York’s first mom governor, this is personal to me. We are committed to tackling this crisis head on with policies that life up parents and children throughout the state of New York.”

Hochul will introduce to the state legislature a bill to grow New York’s already expansive paid family leave program would include 40 hours of paid time off before a child is born for the parent to attend prenatal medical appointments.

She will also add legislation to her budget proposal to allow the commissioner of health to issue a standing order allowing New Yorkers to use doula services without a physician’s referral, opening up a realm of pregnancy care to women who may not be able to see a doctor.

Legislation will also be introduced to eliminate cost-sharing for pregnancy care under the state-sponsored Affordable Care Act health plans the Essential Plan and qualified health plans, meaning pregnant women won’t have to pay co-pays or out-of-pocket costs for prenatal appointments or their hospital stay for the birth.

Hochul said she is also directing the state Health Department to launch a raft of initiatives aimed at cutting down on unnecessary c-section births, including oversight programs, a process to review physicians who seem to overuse c-sections, and financial incentives through Medicaid to cut down on the number of unnecessary c-sections.

Hochul said she will direct the state Health Department to provide further training for workers at the 988 suicide and crisis hotline to provide care specific to mothers with depression and postpartum depression.

Finally, Hochul called for a plan to distribute safe, approved cribs to low-income parents, to cut down on the rate of infants killed in unsafe sleeping quarters. She said over 120 infants die annually in New York because of unsafe or dangerous sleeping conditions, especially if they are in an unsafe, old or damaged crib.

“These nation leading state of the state priorities not only protect maternal mental health, they aim to minimize unnecessary c-section,” said New York state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald.

“They also reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, establish paid prenatal leave, expand doula services, and eliminate copays and out of pocket maternal and infant medical costs for Medicaid members, providing families with emotional support during pregnancy, delivery and following birth,” McDonald added.