Moms Matter Act: A Testimony by Melissa Sherman, MD
The following testimony was written by Dr. Melissa Sherman, MD and the Massachusetts Mind the Gap Coalition to the Massachusetts State House in favor of the Moms Matter Act.
We have published the testimony below with permission from the authors to bolster support for this important legislation. You can find more info about supporting the Moms Matter Act at the bottom of this post.
“Dear Chairman Cyr, Chairman Madaro, and Commission Members,
On behalf of the Massachusetts Mind the Gap Coalition, we are writing to testify in support of a $1million allocation of the Behavioral Health Trust Fund for the Massachusetts Moms Matter Act. Our Coalition is a group of advocates, parents, healthcare providers, other professionals and grassroots leaders who have come together around perinatal mental health, and specifically to support this Act.
The Moms Matter Act focuses on expanding the workforce in a grossly under-addressed area of behavioral health: maternal or perinatal mental health. Postpartum depression and other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) are the #1 complication of pregnancy, impacting over 20,000 parents in Massachusetts each year. Unlike other acute needs in our behavioral health care system. however, PMADs are largely invisible and widely under diagnosed. Screening is inconsistent, and most parents who may be suffering do not speak up because of stigma and shame. As a result, 75% of parents who need treatment do not receive it. Research also shows racial disparities in incidence and treatment of PMADs, with Black birthing people twice as likely to suffer from these mental health complications and half as likely to receive care as their white counterparts.
75% of parents who need treatment do not receive it.
The occurrence of PMADs has only grown over the past few years as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the number of behavioral healthcare providers who specialize in perinatal mental health has not been able to keep up with the need. PMADs are treatable; left untreated, however, PMADs have far-reaching and often long-lasting effects on parents, children, and communities. The inability of individuals suffering from PMADs to obtain necessary behavioral healthcare and support is a direct threat to public health in the Commonwealth, especially for historically marginalized communities. The need to expand and diversify the perinatal behavioral healthcare workforce may be more dire than ever before.
The Moms Matter Act comprises two bills filed earlier this year, H. 4740, An Act establishing maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce grants, and H. 4741, An Act establishing a maternal mental health equity grant program.
Both will be refiled in the coming 2023-2024 legislative session by Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley with some language changes to increase their inclusivity. The first of these bills would grow and diversify the perinatal mental health workforce by investing in schools or programs offering education and training in perinatal mental health, including by providing scholarships to students who will specialize in this area. The second bill would invest in a range of community-based programs that support perinatal mental health, such as group prenatal care, suicide prevention, and SUD treatment for pregnant and postpartum individuals.
The Moms Matter Act targets Massachusetts residents most in need, focusing on those living in maternal healthcare deserts, and in areas with poor maternal health outcomes or that face high rates of racial and ethnic disparities in those outcomes. The Moms Matter Act falls squarely within the scope of the Behavioral Health Advisory Commission in that it will address urgent behavioral health care and workforce issues and invest in providers beyond just Master’s-level clinicians, such as Peer Recovery Coaches, Community Health Workers, and a wide variety of community-based programs.
Please find the Moms Matter Act and a bill summary attached. We look forward to providing an update to this Commission when it is re-filed next month, with updated text to add care for dads, nonbinary parents, and non-birth parents, and to make grants available for home visiting, Early Relational Health supports, and other evidence-based programs – all important additions that have been recommended by our growing coalition.
While the behavioral healthcare needs of perinatal individuals in Massachusetts have skyrocketed in recent years, the availability of providers remains an enormous barrier to obtaining treatment. The Moms Matter Act could begin to break down this barrier almost immediately once passed and funded.
The Moms Matter Act could begin to break down this barrier almost immediately once passed and funded.
We hope you will consider an allocation toward the urgent and extremely worthwhile grants the Moms Matter Act aims to provide. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter and for all you do to support the mental health and wellbeing of residents of the Commonwealth. Sincerely, The Massachusetts Mind the Gap Coalition”
