SECTION 137.44. Parenting and Postpartum Counseling

(a) A birthing center that provides prenatal care to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an infant shall:

(1) provide the woman with a resource list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of professional organizations that provide postpartum counseling and assistance to parents;

(2) document in the patient's record that the patient received the information described in paragraph (1) of this subsection; and

(3) retain the documentation for at least three years in the birthing center records.

(b) The list must include resources a parent may contact to receive counseling and assistance for postpartum depression and other emotional traumas associated with pregnancy and parenting.

(c) A birthing center that provides prenatal care to a woman during gestation or at delivery is presumed to have complied with this section, if the woman received prior prenatal care from another birthing center, physician, or midwife in this state during the same pregnancy.

Source Note: The provisions of this §137.44 adopted to be effective December 2, 2007, 32 TexReg 8507