The Momnibus: Moms Matter Act
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Background
According to maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) that examine pregnancy-related deaths in their respective states, “mental health conditions are one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death.”15MMRCs have also been assessing substance use disorder as a contributing factor in maternal deaths, recognizing the overall national trend of drug overdose deaths tripling from 1999-2014.16
These challenges are most acute for low-income and minority families: according to the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), more than half of poor infants live with a mother who has some level of depressive symptoms.17 Research has found that from 2006-2017, suicidal ideation and intentional self-harm increased significantly for Black women during their pregnancies and up to one year postpartum.18
The bipartisanMoms Matter Act will make investments in programs to support moms with maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders. It also provides critical funding to grow and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce.
For more information or to add your organization’s endorsement to the list below, please email BlackMaternalHealthCaucus@mail.house.gov.
Bill Summary
The Moms Matter Act will:
- Establish a Maternal Mental Health Equity Grant Program to invest in local initiatives supporting people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders during or after pregnancy.
- Provide funding for programs to grow and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce to expand access to high-quality maternal mental health care and substance use disorder services.
Click HERE for a printable one-pager on the bill.
Cosponsors
Click HERE for the current list of House cosponsors and HERE for the current list of Senate cosponsors.
Endorsements
The Moms Matter Act is endorsed by the following organizations:
- 1,000 Days, an initiative of FHI Solutions
- A Better Balance
- ACA Consumer Advocacy
- ACHNE
- African American Breastfeeding Network
- African Heritage PA Caucus
- Alliance to End Hunger
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American Academy of Nursing
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
- American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
- American Association of Birth Centers
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- American College of Nurse-Midwives
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- American Heart Association
- American Muslim Health Professionals
- American Nurses Association
- American Psychological Association
- American Public Health Association
- Ancient Song
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America
- Arika Trim Foundation
- Association of Black Cardiologists
- Association of Black Women Physicians
- Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
- Association of Physician Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN)
- Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
- Baby Cafe USA
- Babyscripts
- Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative
- Big Cities Health Coalition
- Birthing Beautiful Communities
- Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA)
- Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association
- Black Women Birthing Justice, Inc
- Bloom Maternal Health
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA)
- Blue Shield of California
- Bobbie
- Boston Medical Center
- Breastfeed Durham
- Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities
- BreastfeedLA
- California Breastfeeding Coalition
- CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association)
- Catholic Health Association of the United States
- Catholics for Choice
- Center for American Progress
- Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- Champaign County Health Care Consumers
- Children's Health Fund
- Cityblock Health
- Commonsense Childbirth Inc.
- Community Catalyst
- Deans' Nursing Policy Coalition
- Diversity Uplifts, Inc.
- DONA International
- Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project
- EcoMadres
- EverThrive Illinois
- Every Mother Counts
- Families USA
- Federation of American Hospitals
- Fibroid Foundation
- First Focus Campaign for Children
- Futures Without Violence
- GA Maternal Fetal Health Alliance
- GLO Preemies
- Glow Birth & Body and The Birth Deck
- Grow Midwives, LLC
- Hackensack Meridian Health
- Harambee Birth and Family Center (HBFC)
- Health Tech for Medicaid (HT4M)
- HealthConnect One
- Healthy Birth Day Inc.
- HealthyWomen
- Heluna Health
- In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda
- Ingram Screening, LLC
- International OCD Foundation
- Lamaze International
- Lifeline for Families Center and Lifeline for Moms Program at UMass Chan Medical School
- Living Well Black
- Luna Tierra Birth Center
- Majaica
- Malone Center
- Mamatoto Village
- March for Moms
- March of Dimes
- Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research
- Maternal Applications of Technology for Community Health (MATCH) Coalition
- Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
- Maternity Care Coalition
- Melinated Moms
- Mental Health America
- Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
- Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable
- Mom Congres
- Mom.ME.
- Mom2Mom Global
- Momma’s Village Fayetteville
- Moms Clean Air Force
- MomsRising
- Mothering Justice
- Mothers Out Front
- NARAL Pro-Choice America
- Narrative Nation Inc.
- National Alliance to impact the Social Determinants of Health (NASDOH)
- National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
- National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
- National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
- National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
- National Association of School Nurses
- National Health Law Program
- National Healthy Start Association
- National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
- National League for Nursing
- National Medical Association
- National Medical Fellowships, Inc.,
- National Organization for Women
- National Organization for Women - Hollywood Chapter
- National Partnership for Women & Families
- National Perinatal Task Force
- National Rural Health Association
- National Student Nurses' Association
- National Urban League
- National WIC Association
- National Women's Law Center
- Nemours Children's Health
- NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
- New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
- Nurse-Family Partnership
- Nurses for America
- Nzuri Doula Services
- Ob Hospitalist Group
- Once Upon A Preemie, Inc
- PA Education Association
- Pace University
- Partners In Health
- Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health
- Poppy Seed Health
- Postpartum Support International (PSI)
- Power to Decide
- Pregnancy Justice
- Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
- Prolacta Bioscience
- Protect Our Care
- Reach Healthcare - Happy Mama
- riskLD
- Shades of Blue Project
- Sista Midwife Productions
- Sister to Sister International, Inc.
- SisterReach
- SisterReach Illinois
- Six Dimensions
- SMART Recovery
- Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
- Society for Women's Health Research
- Sojourners
- Star Legacy Foundation
- The Arc of the United States
- The Children's Partnership
- The Collaborative
- The Kennedy Forum
- The National Women's Health Network
- The Root Cause Coalition
- The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
- Third Way
- Trust for America's Health
- Union for Reform Judaism
- United Against Inequities in Disease
- United Church of Christ Justice and Local Church Ministries
- University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
- Urban Baby Beginnings
- Urban Mommy Inc
- Vitality Wellness Solutions PLLC
- What to Expect Project
- Wolomi
- ZERO TO THREE
15 CDC Foundation: Report from Nine Maternal Mortality Review Committees
16 CDC Foundation: Report from Nine Maternal Mortality Review Committees
17 CLASP: Maternal Depression and Young Adult Mental Health
18 Admon, Dalton, & Kolenic: Trends in Suicidality 1 Year Before and After Birth Among Commercially Insured Childbearing Individuals in the United States, 2006-2017.