Into the Light for MMH and SUD Act of 2022
Bill: S.3824 | Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (D-NY)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
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.

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 (g); 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.''.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (g) 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 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.''.
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