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Health care leaders are praising Gov. Gavin Newsom after he signed a budget bill that expands Medi-Cal services for low-income women diagnosed with postpartum depression from two months post-birth to a full year post-birth. The expansion will help those without health insurance and undocumented immigrants who are ineligible for full Medi-Cal benefits. Reaction from health care leaders:
- “California’s hospitals deliver nearly 500,000 babies each year, but the care we provide to moms shouldn’t end when they take their newborns home. By helping moms in need, we are better able to ensure healthy parents and strong future generations.” – Carmela Coyle, President & CEO, California Hospital Association
- “Nationally, about one in nine women experience symptoms of postpartum depression. This is a serious illness that can have lifelong negative effects on mothers and their children. That’s why investing in treatment and services is so important.” – Jessica Cruz, Executive Director, NAMI California
- “With California’s longstanding focus on maternal health, it’s natural that the exceptional quality we provide in delivering babies be extended to mothers who need care post-delivery. In the past decade, California’s maternal mortality rate has declined by 68 percent; extending services for postpartum depression will enhance our work to keep moms safe.” – Robert Imhoff, President, Hospital Quality Institute
- “True maternal health is not about delivering quality care at any point in time, but rather over a continuum of care that includes prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum. I’m grateful the state is recognizing the importance of securing services for mothers struggling with postpartum depression, a common condition that demands our attention as we work to help mothers and babies.” – Dr. Elliott Main, Medical Director, California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative
