Florida Senate - 2018                                     SB 138
       
       
        
       By Senator Book
       
       
       
       
       
       32-00046-18                                            2018138__
    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 provided by
   15         birth centers to include a mental health screening and
   16         the provision of certain information on postpartum
   17         depression; amending s. 395.1053, F.S.; requiring
   18         hospitals that provide birthing services to provide
   19         the same postpartum evaluation and followup care that
   20         is required to be provided by birth centers; providing
   21         an effective date.
   22  
   23         WHEREAS, the Alachua County Perinatal Mental Health
   24  Coalition released its 2017 Maternal Mental Health Needs
   25  Assessment, which found that perinatal mental illness is the
   26  leading health complication related to pregnancy and birth, and
   27         WHEREAS, as many as 1 in 5 mothers nationally will
   28  experience Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMD), and
   29         WHEREAS, as many as 1 in 10 fathers will also experience
   30  symptoms of PMD, and
   31         WHEREAS, Florida loses approximately $900 million annually
   32  because of the failure to recognize and treat perinatal mental
   33  illnesses, and
   34         WHEREAS, approximately 44,000 Florida babies are born to a
   35  parent experiencing a perinatal mental illness, and those babies
   36  may experience social, emotional, and cognitive detriments if
   37  their affected parents do not have access to proper care or
   38  receive treatment, NOW, THEREFORE,
   39  
   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         383.014Perinatal 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. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.