§ 247b–4f — Research Relating To Preterm Labor And Delivery And The Care, Treatment, And Outcomes Of Preterm And Low Birthweight Infants

(a) (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may, subject to the availability of appropriations— (A) conduct epidemiological studies on the factors relating to prematurity, such as clinical, biological, social, environmental, genetic, and behavioral factors, and other determinants that contribute to health disparities and are related to prematurity, as appropriate; (B) conduct activities to improve national data to facilitate tracking the burden of preterm birth; and (C) continue efforts to prevent preterm birth, including late preterm birth, through the identification of opportunities for prevention and the assessment of the impact of such efforts. (2) (c) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall— (1) continue systems for the collection of maternal-infant clinical and biomedical information, including electronic health records, electronic databases, and biobanks, to link with the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and other epidemiological studies of prematurity in order to track, to the extent practicable, all pregnancy outcomes and prevent preterm birth; and (2) provide technical assistance, as appropriate, to support States in improving the collection of information pursuant to this subsection. (d) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall review existing tools and measures to ensure that such tools and measures include information related to the known risk factors of low birth weight and preterm birth. (e) There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.