ATLANTA – State Representative Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta), chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, was recently selected as a recipient of the 2019 Charlotte Wilen Maternal & Infant Health Advocates of the Year Award by the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. Rep. Cooper was chosen for this award for championing House Bill 345, legislation which improves health care conditions for pregnant inmates or inmates who are in the immediate postpartum period, during the 2019 legislative session.
“I am honored to receive this award from the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, and I am thankful for their partnership in implementing legislative change for maternal health for so many years,” said Rep. Cooper. “I am proud to be recognized for our work on House Bill 345, which ensure that all mothers, including new and expecting mothers in Georgia’s correctional facilities, are treated with dignity and experience a healthy and safe pregnancy and delivery.”
The 2019 Charlotte Wilen Maternal & Infant Health Advocates of the Year Award is presented to lawmakers, such as Rep. Cooper, who have impacted the lives of Georgia’s mothers and infants through their legislative efforts during the Georgia General Assembly’s annual legislative session. Rep. Cooper will be presented with the award at the 2020 Maternal and Infant Health Policy Breakfast on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.
Since 1974, the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHB) has been a statewide voice for improved access to healthcare and health outcomes for Georgia’s mothers and babies. HMHB is the only organization in Georgia that focuses on the full spectrum of maternal and child health concerns from prematurity to maternal mortality.
For more information about the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, please click here.
For more information on HB 345, please click here.
Representative Sharon Cooper represents the citizens of District 43, which includes portions of Cobb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and currently serves as Chairman of the Health & Human Services Committee. She also serves on the Judiciary Non-Civil, Regulated Industries and Rules committees.
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