BILL NUMBER: ACR 148	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JULY 3, 2014
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 16, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Lowenthal

                        MAY 7, 2014

   Relative to maternal mental health care.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 148, Lowenthal. Task Force on the Status of Maternal Mental
Health Care.
   This measure would request the California Maternal Mental Health
Collaborative, a nonprofit organization, to establish a task force on
the status of maternal mental health care.



   WHEREAS, In 2010, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 105 (Resolution
Chapter 9 of the Statutes of 2010) was enacted and proclaimed the
month of May, each year, as Perinatal Depression Awareness Month in
California, and called for the formation of a volunteer task force.
As a result of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 105, the California
Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, an independent nonprofit
organization, was formed; and
   WHEREAS, Women in their childbearing years account for the largest
group of Americans with depression. The mental health of women
before, during, and after childbirth is an issue of great concern to
women, their families, and their physicians and; therefore, is of
interest to the Legislature; and
   WHEREAS, Maternal depression and other mood disorders are serious
and debilitating, but treatable disorders. Children born to mothers
with untreated depression are more likely to have developmental
problems and higher utilization of medical and mental health care
over their lifetimes. Therefore, it is critical that women who are
suffering from depression or another maternal mental health disorder
be diagnosed and treated; and
   WHEREAS, A task force should be established to study, review, and
identify (1) current barriers to screening and diagnosis, (2) current
treatment options for both those who are privately insured and those
who receive care through the public health system, and (3) evidence
based and emerging treatment options that are scalable in public and
private health settings. The task force should also identify provider
population needs and patient needs in order to improve diagnosis and
treatment; and
   WHEREAS, The task force should consist of 12 to 18 members,
appointed by the California Maternal Mental Health Collaborative in
consultation with the Assembly and Senate Committees on Health, and
include representation from organizations such as the State
Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public
Health, the Office of Perinatal Substance Abuse, the State Department
of Developmental Services, the Children and Family Services Division
of the State Department of Social Services, First 5 California, the
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and other
stakeholders; and
   WHEREAS, The task force should meet at least eight times a year.
Members of the task force will not be compensated, but may be
reimbursed for travel expenses by the California Maternal Mental
Health Collaborative, to the extent available, for the purpose of
attending meetings of the task force. The task force should be funded
by private sources; and
   WHEREAS, The task force should make recommendations in a white
paper no later than December 31, 2015, which should address changes
necessary within state and county programs and any other areas deemed
necessary; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature, therefore, requests the
California Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, a nonprofit
organization, to establish a task force on the status of maternal
mental health care in order to further the objectives described in
this resolution; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.