Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Act of 2022 or the Into the Light for MMH and SUD Act of 2022
This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 a program that addresses maternal depression and, among other changes, expands its scope to include mental health and substance use disorders. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain a national hotline to provide mental health and substance use disorder resources to pregnant and postpartum women and their families.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7073 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7073
To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a grant program
for screening, assessment, and treatment services for maternal mental
health and substance use disorders, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 15, 2022
Ms. Clark of Massachusetts (for herself, Ms. Herrera Beutler, Ms.
Matsui, Mr. Burgess, Ms. Clarke of New York, and Mrs. Kim of
California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a grant program
for screening, assessment, and treatment services for maternal mental
health and substance use disorders, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Into the Light for Maternal Mental
Health and Substance Use Disorders Act of 2022'' or the ``Into the
Light for MMH and SUD Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Maternal mental health conditions are the most common
complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5
women or 800,000 women annually, during pregnancy or the year
following pregnancy.
(2) Maternal mental health and substance use disorders
contribute to the high rate of maternal mortality in the United
States, with suicide and drug overdose combined being the
leading cause of death for women in the first year following
pregnancy.
(3) Women who experience racial and economic inequities are
3 to 4 times more likely to be impacted by maternal mental
health and other behavioral health disorders.
(4) Untreated maternal mental health conditions and
substance use disorders can have long-term negative impacts on
the mother, baby, family, and society.
(5) Mothers with untreated mental health conditions during
pregnancy are more likely to have poor nutrition and struggle
with substance use disorders, which can lead to poor birth
outcomes for the baby.
(6) Untreated maternal mental health conditions and
substance use disorders can contribute to--
(A) impaired parent-child interactions;
(B) behavioral, cognitive, or emotional delays in
the child; and
(C) adverse childhood experiences that can
negatively impact the child's life.
(7) Untreated maternal mental health conditions are
estimated to cost the United States economy $14,000,000,000 or
$32,000 per mother-infant pair every year in addressing poor
health outcomes and accounting for lost wages and productivity
of the mother.
(8) Although the United States Preventive Services Task
Force and several national medical organizations encourage
health care providers to screen and treat maternal mental
health conditions, 75 percent of women impacted remain
untreated.
(9) Frontline providers who care for women during pregnancy
and the first year following pregnancy are often reluctant to
screen for maternal mental health conditions, citing lack of
education, insurance reimbursement, and resources for affected
women.
SEC. 3. SCREENING AND TREATMENT FOR A MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.
(a) In General.--Section 317L-1 of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``maternal
depression'' and inserting ``maternal mental health and
substance use disorders''; and
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) by inserting ``, Indian Tribes and Tribal
Organizations (as such terms are defined in section 4
of the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act), and Urban Indian organizations (as
such term is defined in section 4 of the Indian Health
Care Improvement Act)'' after ``States''; and
(B) by striking ``for women who are pregnant, or
who have given birth within the preceding 12 months,
for maternal depression'' and inserting ``for women who
are postpartum, pregnant, or have given birth within
the preceding 12 months, for maternal mental health and
substance use disorders''.
(b) Application.--Subsection (b) of section 317L-1 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) is amended--
(1) by striking ``a State shall submit'' and inserting ``an
entity listed in subsection (a) shall submit''; and
(2) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking ``maternal
depression'' each place it appears and inserting ``maternal
mental health and substance use disorders''.
(c) Priority.--Subsection (c) of section 317L-1 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) is amended--
(1) by striking ``may give priority to States proposing to
improve or enhance access to screening'' and inserting the
following: ``shall give priority to entities listed in
subsection (a) that--
``(1) are proposing to create, improve, or enhance
screening, prevention, and treatment'';
(2) by striking ``maternal depression'' and inserting
``maternal mental health and substance use disorders'';
(3) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (1), as
so designated, and inserting a semicolon; and
(4) by inserting after such paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) are currently partnered with, or will partner with, a
community-based organization to address maternal mental health
and substance use disorders;
``(3) are located in an area with high rates of adverse
maternal health outcomes or significant health, economic,
racial, or ethnic disparities in maternal health and substance
use disorder outcomes; and
``(4) operate in a health professional shortage area
designated under section 332.''.
(d) Use of Funds.--Subsection (d) of section 317L-1 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``to health
care providers; and'' and inserting ``on maternal
mental health and substance use disorder screening,
brief intervention, treatment (as applicable for health
care providers), and referrals for treatment to health
care providers in the primary care setting and
nonclinical perinatal support workers;'';
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``to health
care providers, including information on maternal
depression screening, treatment, and followup support
services, and linkages to community-based resources;
and'' and inserting ``on maternal mental health and
substance use disorder screening, brief intervention,
treatment (as applicable for health care providers) and
referrals for treatment, followup support services, and
linkages to community-based resources to health care
providers in the primary care setting and clinical
perinatal support workers; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) enabling health care providers (such as
obstetrician-gynecologists, nurse practitioners, nurse
midwives, pediatricians, psychiatrists, mental and
other behavioral health care providers, and adult
primary care clinicians) to provide or receive real-
time psychiatric consultation (in-person or remotely),
including through the use of technology-enabled
collaborative learning and capacity building models (as
defined in section 330N), to aid in the treatment of
pregnant and postpartum women; and''; and
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking subparagraph (A) and redesignating
subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs (A) and (B),
respectively;
(B) in subparagraph (A), as redesignated, by
striking ``and'' at the end;
(C) in subparagraph (B), as redesignated--
(i) by inserting ``, including'' before
``for rural areas''; and
(ii) by striking the period at the end and
inserting a semicolon; and
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (B), as
redesignated, the following:
``(C) providing assistance to pregnant and
postpartum women to receive maternal mental health and
substance use disorder treatment, including patient
consultation, care coordination, and navigation for
such treatment;
``(D) coordinating with maternal and child health
programs of the Federal Government and State, local,
and Tribal governments, including child psychiatric
access programs;
``(E) conducting public outreach and awareness
regarding grants under subsection (a);
``(F) creating multi-State consortia to carry out
the activities required or authorized under this
subsection; and
``(G) training health care providers in the primary
care setting and nonclinical perinatal support workers
on trauma-informed care, culturally and linguistically
appropriate services, and best practices related to
training to improve the provision of maternal mental
health and substance use disorder care for racial and
ethnic minority populations, including with respect to
perceptions and biases that may affect the approach to,
and provision of, care.''.
(e) Additional Provisions.--Section 317L-1 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (h); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide technical
assistance to grantees and entities listed in subsection (a) for
carrying out activities pursuant to this section.
``(f) Dissemination of Best Practices.--The Secretary, based on
evaluation of the activities funded pursuant to this section, shall
identify and disseminate evidence-based or evidence-informed best
practices for screening, assessment, and treatment services for
maternal mental health and substance use disorders, including
culturally and linguistically appropriate services, for women during
pregnancy and 12 months following pregnancy.
``(g) Matching Requirement.--The Federal share of the cost of the
activities for which a grant is made to an entity under subsection (a)
shall not exceed 90 percent of the total cost of such activities.''.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (h) of section
317L-1 (42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) of the Public Health Service Act, as
redesignated, is further amended--
(1) by striking ``$5,000,000'' and inserting
``$24,000,000''; and
(2) by striking ``2018 through 2022'' and inserting ``2023
through 2028''.
SEC. 4. MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE.
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 399V-7. MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall maintain, directly or by
grant or contract, a national hotline to provide emotional support,
information, brief intervention, and mental health and substance use
disorder resources to pregnant and postpartum women at risk of, or
affected by, maternal mental health and substance use disorders, and to
their families or household members.
``(b) Requirements for Hotline.--The hotline under subsection (a)
shall--
``(1) be a 24/7 real-time hotline;
``(2) provide voice and text support;
``(3) be staffed by certified peer specialists, licensed
health care professionals, or licensed mental health
professionals who are trained on--
``(A) maternal mental health and substance use
disorder prevention, identification, and intervention;
and
``(B) providing culturally and linguistically
appropriate support; and
``(4) provide maternal mental health and substance use
disorder assistance and referral services to meet the needs of
underserved populations, individuals with disabilities, and
family and household members of pregnant or postpartum women at
risk of experiencing maternal mental health and substance use
disorders.
``(c) Additional Requirements.--In maintaining the hotline under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
``(1) consult with the Domestic Violence Hotline, National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Veterans Crisis Line to ensure
that pregnant and postpartum women are connected in real-time
to the appropriate specialized hotline service, when
applicable;
``(2) conduct a public awareness campaign for the hotline;
and
``(3) consult with Federal departments and agencies,
including the Centers of Excellence of the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration and the Department of
Veterans Affairs, to increase awareness regarding the hotline.
``(d) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall submit an annual report
to the Congress on the hotline under subsection (a) and implementation
of this section, including--
``(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of activities
conducted or supported under subsection (a);
``(2) a directory of entities or organizations to which
staff maintaining the hotline funded under this section may
make referrals; and
``(3) such additional information as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2028.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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