Letter to the Hon. Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Healt, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and the Hon. Roy Blunt, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcomittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies - Gillibrand Announces Major Push To Increase Funding For Maternal Health In The FY 2022 Bipartisan Appropriations Package

Letter

Dear Chair Murray and Ranking Member Blunt:

As you consider the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, we respectfully request that you address the
critical issue of maternal mental health by increasing funding for the Health Resources and
Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal Mental Health Hotline by $2 million dollars,
and the Screening and Treatment of Maternal Depression and Related Behavioral
Disorders Program (MDRBD) for states by $5 million dollars.

Nearly 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression and 1 in 5 women face some kind of
maternal mental health concerns.[2] Pregnancy and the postpartum period are vulnerable times for
expecting and new mothers. Between hormonal fluctuations, sleep deprivation, and other health
challenges, even those who do not suffer from postpartum depression or maternal mental health
conditions often experience significant stress. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated
maternal mental health conditions with a recent study showing that pregnant women and new
mothers are experiencing anxiety and depression during the pandemic at 3 to 4 times the rate
prior to the pandemic.

Yet even before COVID-19 isolated us in our homes, rates of postpartum depression were on the
rise. From 2000 to 2015, the rate of depression diagnoses among women who had recently
delivered a hospital increased seven-fold. Recent studies show that suicide and overdose
combined are the leading cause of death for mothers in the postpartum period, contributing to the
distressingly high maternal mortality rate in the United States.

Sadly, 75% of those experiencing maternal mental health conditions go undiagnosed and
untreated, increasing the risk of multigenerational, long-term impact on the physical, emotional,
and developmental health of both the mother and child. The cost of not treating maternal
mental health conditions is $32,000 per mother-infant pair, or $14.2 billion in accounting for lost
wages and productivity of the mother and addressing poor health outcomes of the mother and
infant. Women of color and women who live in poverty are disproportionately impacted by
both the pandemic and maternal mental health conditions, experiencing both at rates 2 to 3 times
higher than white women.

With so many new mothers suffering from maternal mental health conditions across the country,
there is a critical need to get mothers support and treatment as soon as possible. Thus, we
respectfully request that you include increased funding for and report language to address the
heightened maternal mental health needs within the FY 2022 Appropriation package to better
support more states and mothers across the nation. Specifically, we request the following
language:

Maternal Mental Health Hotline--We request the Committees include $5 million for
the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which is $2 million above the fiscal year 2021
enacted level. The hotline shall provide 24 hours a day voice and text support that is
culturally and linguistically appropriate. The funding shall also be used to raise public
awareness about maternal mental health issues and the hotline.

Screening and Treatment of Maternal Depression--We request the Committees
provide a $5 million increase above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level for the Screening
and Treatment of Maternal Depression and Related Behavioral Disorders Program
(MDRBD). MDRBD programs train health care providers to screen, assess, and treat for
MMH conditions and provide specialized psychiatric consultation to assist the providers.
HRSA shall make grants to establish new State programs and improve or maintain
existing State programs. Grants shall include culturally competent approaches to assist in
the reduction of maternal health inequities. The Committee recognizes the high need
amongst States and directs MDRBD to provide technical assistance to non-grantee states.

Now more than ever, emotional support, screening, intervention, and treatment referral is critical
to the overall health of both mothers and their newborns. This increased funding will provide a
critically needed and cost-effective lifeline to pregnant women and new mothers at the most
vulnerable time in their lives