Public Act 0512 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB3511 Enrolled LRB101 10991 CPF 56175 b

Public Act 101-0512

AN ACT concerning health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the the Maternal Mental Health Conditions Education, Early Diagnosis, and Treatment Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the following:

(1) Maternal depression is a common complication of pregnancy. Maternal mental health disorders encompass a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and postpartum psychosis.

(2) Maternal mental health conditions affect one in 5 women during or after pregnancy, but all women are at risk of suffering from maternal mental health conditions.

(3) Untreated maternal mental health conditions significantly and negatively impact the short-term and long-term health and well-being of affected women and their children.

(4) Untreated maternal mental health conditions cause adverse birth outcomes, impaired maternal-infant bonding, poor infant growth, childhood emotional and behavioral problems, and significant medical and economic costs, estimated to be $22,500 per mother.

(5) Lack of understanding and social stigma of mental health conditions prevent women and families from understanding the signs, symptoms, and risks involved with maternal mental health conditions and disproportionately affect women who lack access to social support networks.

(6) It is the intent of the General Assembly to raise awareness of the risk factors, signs, symptoms, and treatment options for maternal mental health conditions among pregnant women and their families, the general public, primary health care providers, and health care providers who care for pregnant women, postpartum women, and newborn infants.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Birthing hospital" means a hospital that has an approved obstetric category of service and licensed beds by the Health Facilities and Services Review Board.

"Department" means the Department of Human Services.

"Maternal mental health condition" means a mental health condition that occurs during pregnancy or during the postpartum period and includes, but is not limited to, postpartum depression.

Section 15. Educational materials about maternal mental health conditions. The Department shall develop educational materials for health care professionals and patients about maternal mental health conditions. A birthing hospital shall, on or before January 1, 2021, distribute these materials to employees regularly assigned to work with pregnant or postpartum women and incorporate these materials in any employee training that is related to patient care of pregnant or postpartum women. A birthing hospital shall supplement the materials provided by the Department to include relevant resources to the region or community in which the birthing hospital is located. The educational materials developed under this Section shall include all of the following:

(1) Information for postpartum women and families about maternal mental health conditions, post-hospital treatment options, and community resources.

(2) Information for hospital employees regularly assigned to work in the perinatal unit, including, as appropriate, registered nurses and social workers, about maternal mental health conditions.

(3) Any other service the birthing hospital determines should be included in the program to provide optimal patient care.

Effective Date: 1/1/2020