2023 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 136
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to assist in the development of a
public service campaign to foster awareness and education on perinatal mental health
care.
WHEREAS, more women die in the United States from complications of pregnancy
and childbirth than in any other developed country in the world, with an average of three
women dying each day in 2021; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the number of women in the United States dying from maternal causes almost
doubled between 2018 and 2021, from six hundred fifty-eight deaths in 2018 to over one
thousand two hundred deaths in 2021; and
WHEREAS, black women in the United States are disproportionately impacted by
complications from pregnancy and childbirth, being more than two and a half times more
likely to die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in 2021 as compared to white
women; and
WHEREAS, mental health problems are the most common complication of
pregnancy, affecting up to one in five women in the perinatal period, and as many as two in
five women who are low income or persons of color; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, mental health-related conditions, namely suicide and overdose,
were the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2017-19 Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality
Review Report released in August 2022, the overall leading cause of pregnancy-associated
deaths was accidental overdose, accounting for seventeen percent of the deaths that occurred
during pregnancy or within one year of the end of the pregnancy; and
WHEREAS, mental health and substance use disorders during pregnancy and in the
postpartum period often go unidentified and studies suggest that less than fifty percent of
women with perinatal mental health problems are identified by their frontline physician; and
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WHEREAS, women identified as experiencing perinatal mental health symptoms
often do not receive treatment, with as many as seventy-five percent of women experiencing
perinatal mental health symptoms going untreated; and
WHEREAS, despite the prevalence and risks, there is a lack of awareness of perinatal
mental health and substance use disorders among family members, the public, and providers,
and many mothers feel reluctant to report symptoms and concerns; and
WHEREAS, stigma has been seen as one of the leading barriers to accessing care
and, as a result of stigma, fewer individuals seek treatment; and
WHEREAS, the mental health of women before, during, and after childbirth is an
issue of great concern to those affected, their families, and their physicians; and
WHEREAS, when left untreated, mental health and substance use disorders in
pregnancy and postpartum period can have serious medical, societal, and economic
consequences; and
WHEREAS, children born to mothers with untreated mental health and substance use
disorders are at increased risk for serious health, developmental, or behavioral conditions,
which can affect their overall development and growth; and
WHEREAS, mental health and substance use disorders in pregnancy and the
postpartum period are treatable, and better treatment outcomes are realized with early
identification and intervention; and
WHEREAS, all of Louisiana has been designated as a mental health professional
shortage area by the federal Human Resources and Services Administration and there is a
scarcity of mental health professionals available in Louisiana, especially psychiatrists, to
treat perinatal mental health and substance use disorders; and
WHEREAS, primary care providers and mental health professionals often lack
training in addressing the mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum women; and
WHEREAS, addressing perinatal mental health concerns has been identified as a
critical need by the Louisiana Department of Health, the Louisiana Commission on Perinatal
Care and the Prevention of Infant Mortality, the Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality
Review, the Louisiana Pritzker Children's Initiative, and various other commissions,
councils, and advisory boards in Louisiana; and
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WHEREAS, in its 2017-19 Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review
Report, the Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee identified the
following areas in its list of priorities for prevention of pregnancy-related and
pregnancy-associated deaths: improve care coordination before, during, and after pregnancy;
improve and expand identification and treatment for substance use and mental health during
pregnancy; and ensure pregnant women receive the appropriate level of care based on their
medical issues and risk factors; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Perinatal Mental Health Task Force, as enacted by House
Concurrent Resolution No. 105 of the 2021 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session,
recognized in its policy brief that while Louisiana has implemented key policy changes,
program, and initiatives that have created forward momentum toward improving mental
health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women, more concerted policy and
programmatic efforts are needed to sustain current efforts and to address system gaps and
deep-rooted inequities in the healthcare structures; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has implemented key policy changes that positively impact
pregnant and postpartum women, including the extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage
for twelve months after delivery, Medicaid reimbursement for caregiver depression
screenings conducted during well-child visits, and the passage of Act No. 188, the Perinatal
Mood and Anxiety Disorders Act, in the 2022 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session, which
provides for information sharing by hospitals and birthing centers, perinatal mood disorder
screening, mental health treatment, and collaborative care; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Perinatal Mental Health Task Force, as enacted by House
Concurrent Resolution No. 105 in the 2021 Legislative Session, made the priority
recommendation to expand mental health access for pregnant and postpartum women by
promoting and investing long-term in a provider-to-provider mental health consultation and
training program that builds the capacity of healthcare providers across the state to respond
to the mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum women; and
WHEREAS, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration recognized
the need and opportunity for the development of a mental health access program in
Louisiana and provided funding to Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health,
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bureau of family health to develop a statewide provider-to-provider mental health
consultation program that provides guidance, education, and care coordination support to
perinatal and pediatric healthcare providers.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to assist in the
development of a public service campaign to foster awareness and education on perinatal
mental health care.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby encourage mental healthcare providers and healthcare providers who provide care
to pregnant and postpartum women to attend continuing education courses on perinatal
mental health care.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby express support for a statewide mental health consultation program that uses
provider-to-provider consultation, education, and resource and referral support to enhance
the capacity of frontline healthcare providers to identify, diagnose, treat, and refer pregnant
and postpartum women with mental health or substance use concerns.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to identify and seek long-term,
sustainable sources of funding for a statewide mental health consultation program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Louisiana Department of Health.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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