I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3235 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health 
Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to States for 
screening and treatment for maternal depression. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2015 
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts (for herself and Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, to make grants to States for screening 
and treatment for maternal depression. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bringing Postpartum 
Depression Out of the Shadows Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) Depression is a medical, physiologic ill-
ness—not a sign of weakness or poor parenting. 
(2) Maternal depression includes major and 
minor depressive episodes that occur during preg-
nancy or in the first 12 months after delivery. 
(3) An estimated 9 to 16 percent of new moth-
ers experience postpartum depression. 
(4) Every year, more than 400,000 infants are 
born to mothers who have depression, which makes 
perinatal depression the most underdiagnosed ob-
stetric complication in the United States. 
(5) The consequences of maternal depression 
include poor bonding between mother and infant, 
which may have negative effects on cognitive devel-
opment, social-emotional development, and behavior 
of the child. 
(6) Maternal suicide exceeds hemorrhage and 
hypertensive disorders as a cause of maternal mor-
tality. 
(7) About 90 percent of women who have ma-
ternal depression can be treated successfully with a 
combination of medication and counseling. 
(8) States and professional organizations are 
taking the lead in addressing this problem, through 
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public awareness campaigns, resource collection, and 
even promoting phone consultations. 
(9) The Congress should provide resources to 
support State teams, and help them find innovative 
solutions to this problem. 
SEC. 3. SCREENING AND TREATMENT FOR MATERNAL DE-
PRESSION. 
The Public Health Service Act is amended by insert-
ing after section 317L of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–13) 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 317L–1. SCREENING AND TREATMENT FOR MATER-
NAL DEPRESSION. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Ad-
ministration, may make grants to States to establish, ex-
pand, or maintain culturally competent programs for 
screening and treatment of women who are pregnant, or 
who have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for 
maternal depression. 
‘‘(b) NUMBER.—The Secretary shall make grants 
under this section to not fewer than 3 States. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec-
tion, a State shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor-
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mation as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, any 
such application shall include explanations of— 
‘‘(1) how the State’s proposed program will in-
crease the percentage of women screened and treat-
ed for maternal depression in one or more commu-
nities; and 
‘‘(2) how the State’s proposed program, if ex-
panded, would lead to substantial increases in 
screening and treatment for maternal depression. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give priority to States proposing 
to expand or enhance screening for maternal depression 
in primary care settings, including family medicine, gen-
eral internal medicine, general pediatrics, preventive medi-
cine, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry. 
‘‘(e) USE
OF FUNDS.—The activities eligible for 
funding through a grant under subsection (a)— 
‘‘(1) shall include— 
‘‘(A) providing appropriate training to 
health care providers; and 
‘‘(B) providing relevant resources to health 
care providers, including information on mater-
nal depression screening, treatment, and fol-
lowup support, and linkages to community- 
based resources; and 
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‘‘(2) may include— 
‘‘(A) enabling health care providers (in-
cluding obstetrician-gynecologists, pediatricians, 
psychiatrists, mental health care providers, and 
adult primary care clinicians) to provide or re-
ceive real-time psychiatric consultation (in-per-
son or remotely) to aid in the treatment of 
pregnant and postpartum women; 
‘‘(B) conducting a public awareness cam-
paign; 
‘‘(C) funding start-up costs for phone 
lines, websites, the collection and dissemination 
of information, and other relevant resources 
and services; and 
‘‘(D) establishing linkages with and among 
community-based resources, including mental 
health resources, primary care resources, and 
support groups. 
‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—To 
carry out this section, there are authorized to be appro-
priated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2020.’’. 
Æ 
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