In processing and awarding contracts, grants, or agreements pursuant to this article, the department shall evaluate the ability of applicants to meet, to the maximum extent possible, the following criteria:

(a)  The applicant’s prior experience in providing community-based, comprehensive perinatal care and services to low-income women and infants.

(b)  The applicant’s ability to provide comprehensive perinatal care, either directly or through subcontract. Those services comprising comprehensive perinatal care include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1)  Initial and ongoing physical assessment.

(2)  Psychosocial assessments and counseling, and referral when appropriate.

(3)  Nutrition assessments, counseling and referral to counseling on food supplement programs, vitamins, and breastfeeding.

(4)  Health educational assessments, and intervention and referral, including childbirth preparation and parenting.

(5)  Outreach and community education.

(6)  Laboratory, radiology, and other specialized services as indicated.

(7)  Delivery, postpartum followup, and pediatric care through the first year of life.

(c)  The quality of care that is being, or has been provided to low-income women and infants by health care providers.

(d)  Whether the area that is, or that will be, serviced by the applicant is medically underserved or has otherwise demonstrated the need for comprehensive, community-based perinatal services.

(e)  The applicant’s ability to use an appropriate multidisciplinary staff working as a team, in consultation with obstetricians, pediatricians, and family practitioners when appropriate, to provide a full range of comprehensive perinatal care services. Staffing patterns shall reflect, to the maximum extent feasible, at all levels, the cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and other social characteristics of the community served. This staff shall include at least one of those persons described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subdivision, as follows, and may include, but not be limited to, a combination of those persons described in paragraphs (4) to (10), inclusive, of this subdivision, as follows:

(1)  An obstetrician.

(2)  A pediatrician.

(3)  (A) A family physician.

(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “family physician” means a primary care physician and surgeon who renders continued comprehensive and preventative health care services to individuals and families, and who has received specialized training in an approved family medicine residency for three years after graduation from an accredited medical school.

(4)  Certified nurse-midwives, public health nurses, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants.

(5)  Nutritionists.

(6)  Social workers.

(7)  Health and childbirth educators.

(8)  A family planning counselor.

(9)  Community outreach peer workers.

(10)  A translator.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 632, Sec. 9. (AB 1622) Effective January 1, 2020.)