# Understanding the SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023

This bill focuses on improving how the United States studies and responds to stillbirths—the loss of a baby before birth. Right now, there's not enough consistent data being collected across the country about why stillbirths happen or what factors increase the risk. This bill aims to change that by funding research, improving data collection, and training medical professionals to better understand and potentially prevent stillbirths.

The bill gives money to states to gather better information about stillbirths by looking at existing health records and death reviews. It also requires the federal government to create guidelines for how hospitals and health departments should collect this information, while making sure people's privacy is protected. The bill funds the creation of educational materials about stillbirths for the public and healthcare providers. Additionally, it establishes training programs for doctors who specialize in examining stillborn babies to understand what went wrong, which could help identify patterns and prevent future losses. Over five years, the bill dedicates about $9 million total to these efforts.

Who does this affect? Primarily, this helps families who have experienced stillbirth by supporting research that might prevent it from happening to others. Healthcare workers, especially those in obstetrics and pathology, will have better training and clearer guidelines. State health departments will receive funding to improve their data collection systems. The general public benefits indirectly through better understanding of stillbirth risks and improved medical knowledge. There are no direct costs to individuals or new regulations that would burden everyday people—this is mainly about funding research and improving how medical information is collected and studied.

SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023

Kim, Young

Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education for Autumn Act of 2023 or the SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023 This bill authorizes grants and establishes other programs to improve data collection on stillbirths. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants for surveillance and data collection on stillbirths, and HHS must issue guidelines for health departments and vital statistics units concerning the collection of stillbirth data. HHS must also develop educational awareness materials about stillbirths and make them publicly available. Furthermore, HHS must implement a fellowship program to provide training in perinatal autopsy pathology and otherwise support research on stillbirths and fetal autopsies. The bill also requires HHS to issue a report with educational guidelines on stillbirths and stillbirth risk factors.