Bill Text: FL S0138 | 2018 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Perinatal Mental Health
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-08 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 937 [S0138 Detail]
Download: Florida-2018-S0138-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2018 CS for SB 138
By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senators Book, Hutson,
and Perry
576-03810-18 2018138c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to perinatal mental health; providing
3 a short title; creating s. 383.014, F.S.; requiring
4 the Department of Health to establish and maintain a
5 toll-free hotline accessible to the general public and
6 a toll-free hotline accessible to health care
7 providers; requiring the department to create public
8 service announcements to educate the public on
9 perinatal mental health care; requiring the department
10 to encourage certain health care providers to attend
11 continuing medical education courses on perinatal
12 mental health care; amending s. 383.318, F.S.;
13 revising components that are included in the
14 postpartum evaluation and followup care required to be
15 provided by birth centers to include a mental health
16 screening and the provision of certain information on
17 postpartum depression; amending s. 395.1053, F.S.;
18 requiring hospitals that provide birthing services to
19 provide the same postpartum evaluation and followup
20 care that is required to be provided by birth centers;
21 providing an appropriation, providing an effective
22 date.
23
24 WHEREAS, the Alachua County Perinatal Mental Health
25 Coalition released its 2017 Maternal Mental Health Needs
26 Assessment, which found that perinatal mental illness is the
27 leading health complication related to pregnancy and birth, and
28 WHEREAS, as many as 1 in 5 mothers nationally will
29 experience Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMD), and
30 WHEREAS, as many as 1 in 10 fathers will also experience
31 symptoms of PMD, and
32 WHEREAS, Florida loses approximately $900 million annually
33 because of the failure to recognize and treat perinatal mental
34 illnesses, and
35 WHEREAS, approximately 44,000 Florida babies are born
36 annually to a parent experiencing a perinatal mental illness,
37 and those babies may experience social, emotional, and cognitive
38 detriments if their affected parent does not have access to
39 proper care or receive treatment, NOW, THEREFORE,
40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
41
42 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Florida Families
43 First Act.”
44 Section 2. Section 383.014, Florida Statutes, is created to
45 read:
46 383.014 Perinatal mental health care.—By January 1, 2019,
47 the Department of Health shall:
48 (1) Establish and maintain a perinatal mental health care
49 toll-free hotline, accessible to the general public, which:
50 (a) Provides basic information on postpartum depression and
51 perinatal care;
52 (b) May recommend that a caller or patient be further
53 evaluated by a qualified health care provider; and
54 (c) May refer a caller or patient to an appropriate health
55 care provider in the caller’s or patient’s local area.
56 (2) Establish and maintain a perinatal mental health care
57 provider toll-free hotline for health care providers, as defined
58 in s. 408.07, which:
59 (a) Provides information to assist health care providers in
60 addressing the mental health of a pregnant or postpartum
61 patient;
62 (b) Maintains and offers the contact information of health
63 care providers throughout the state who have experience in
64 caring for pregnant or postpartum patients; and
65 (c) Compiles resources to encourage the efficient and
66 coordinated care of pregnant or postpartum patients.
67 (3) Create public service announcements (PSAs) to educate
68 the public on perinatal mental health care. The PSAs must
69 include the telephone number of the perinatal mental health care
70 hotline established in subsection (1).
71 (4) Encourage mental health care providers, and health care
72 providers who conduct postpartum evaluations or treat postpartum
73 patients, to attend continuing medical education courses on
74 perinatal mental health care.
75 Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 383.318, Florida
76 Statutes, is amended to read:
77 383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
78 infants.—
79 (3) The birth center shall provide a postpartum evaluation
80 and followup care that includes all of the following shall be
81 provided, which shall include:
82 (a) Physical examination of the infant.
83 (b) Metabolic screening tests required by s. 383.14.
84 (c) Referral to sources for pediatric care.
85 (d) Maternal postpartum assessment that incorporates mental
86 health screening.
87 (e) Information on postpartum depression and the telephone
88 number of the perinatal mental health care hotline established
89 in s. 383.014.
90 (f)(e) Instruction in child care, including immunization,
91 breastfeeding, safe sleep practices, and possible causes of
92 Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.
93 (g)(f) Family planning services.
94 (h)(g) Referral to secondary or tertiary care, as
95 indicated.
96 Section 4. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is amended
97 to read:
98 395.1053 Postpartum care and education.—A hospital that
99 provides birthing services shall provide a postpartum evaluation
100 and followup care that includes all of the following:
101 (1) Physical examination of the infant.
102 (2) Metabolic screening tests required by s. 383.14.
103 (3) Referral to sources for pediatric care.
104 (4) Maternal postpartum assessment that incorporates mental
105 health screening.
106 (5) Information on postpartum depression and the telephone
107 number of the perinatal mental health care hotline established
108 in s. 383.014.
109 (6) Instruction in child care, including immunization,
110 breastfeeding, incorporate information on safe sleep practices,
111 and the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death into
112 the hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of newborns.
113 (7) Family planning services.
114 (8) Referral to secondary or tertiary care, as indicated.
115 Section 5. For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the sum of
116 $1,156,520 from the General Revenue Fund, of which $854,700 is
117 nonrecurring, is appropriated to the Department of Health for
118 the purpose of implementing s. 383.014, Florida Statutes.
119 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.
