Closing Gaps in Maternal Mental Healthcare

The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health is a national think tank, nonprofit organization advancing policies that support a health care system that routinely detects and treats maternal mental health disorders for every mother, every time.

MO Policy

SS/SCS/HCS/HB 1682 (2020): Established the "Postpartum Depression Care Act." This requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers that provide labor and delivery services to provide pregnant women, new fathers, and other family members information about postpartum depression, including its symptoms, treatment, and available resources. The Department of Health and Senior Services must provide written information for hospitals to use and include on its website.

The General Assembly encourages healthcare providers providing postnatal care to women and pediatric care to infants to offer the women a postpartum depression questionnaire and review such questionnaires to ensure the health, well-being, and safety of the woman and the infant.

Current law allowed certain pregnant women receiving MO HealthNet benefits to continue to be eligible for all pregnancy-related and postpartum benefits for 60 days following the last day of their pregnancy. Under this act, such women who were receiving mental health treatment for postpartum depression or related mental health conditions within 60 days of giving birth shall, subject to appropriations and federal approval, would be eligible for MO HealthNet benefits for mental health services for the treatment of postpartum depression and related mental health conditions for up to twelve additional months.

This act also designates the month of May as "Mental Health Awareness Month" and the month of September as "Infant and Maternal Mortality Awareness Month."