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Your voice counts!

With just a few clicks, urge your legislators to support maternal mental health by co-authoring four critical bills. Collectively, these four bills provide mothers with much-needed support to ensure California families can thrive. Our voices together can make a difference for mothers, children, and families!

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Review the letter and add a message telling your legislators why maternal mental health is important to you. Share your personal story with your legislators in the box at the bottom - you can make a difference!

California legislators

Subject: Support maternal mental health and co-author this bill package today

Message:

I am writing to ask you to co-author the following 4 bills to support the 1 in 5 mothers and families who suffer from undiagnosed and untreated Maternal Mental Health (MMH) disorders:

ACR 180, Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month (Waldron, R) - dedicates the month of May 2018 to recognizing the prevalence and burden of MMH disorders in California.

AB 1893, Maternal Mental Health: Federal Funding (Maienschein, R) - requires the California State Department of Health to apply for federal funding to support MMH, and to prepare a legislative report by January 1, 2020 on its plans to use the funding received.

AB 2193, Maternal Mental Health: Screening and Case Management (Maienschein, R) - requires obstetricians to screen expectant and new mothers for MMH disorders; and health insurers to provide case management services so that diagnosed mothers receive access to care from an in-network therapist and/or a provider-to-provider consult with a reproductive psychiatrist for appropriate medications in the perinatal period.

AB 3032, Hospital Programs for Maternal Mental Health (Frazier, D) - requires hospitals to develop and monitor the effectiveness of a program to address MMH disorders, including clinician training and patient education.

According to a report issued by the California Task Force on the Status of Maternal Mental Health Care in 2017:

MMH disorders range from depression and anxiety to postpartum psychosis. Up to 1 in 5 women will suffer from an MMH disorder, which means 100,000 women and families are impacted in California each year. Scientists note that untreated MMH disorders during pregnancy increase the risk of preterm and low birthweight babies, and can negatively impact not only the mother's health and family stability, but also infant brain development in the postpartum period. Furthermore, untreated MMH disorders can lead to chronic mental health issues, while mothers can become well again with early treatment.

Despite the prevalence of these disorders, research suggests that only 15% of affected mothers receive treatment. There is a severe and worsening shortage of mental health providers in California; in fact, >80% (47 out of 58) of counties have no reproductive psychiatrists who specialize in treating MMH disorders. The estimated annual cost of untreated MMH disorders in California is $2.25B in lost income, productivity, and negative health outcomes in children, posing a huge burden on families and our healthcare system.

Collectively, these 4 bills provide mothers with much-needed support to ensure California families can thrive. Please sign on as co-author of the bill package today.

Remaining:

Your voice counts!

Review the letter and add a message telling your legislators why maternal mental health is important to you. Share your personal story with your legislators in the box at the bottom - you can make a difference!

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