2020 MOM POLICY CENTER FOR MATERNAL

OUR WORK "COMMANDING ACTION" INVOLVES INFORMING AND INFLUENCING FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY TO FURTHER ESTABLISH THE FOUNDATION FOR IMPROVED MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH IN THE U.S. IS WHAT WE REFER TO IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AS "COMMANDING ACTION." THE FEDERAL TASK FORCE ON MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH WAS LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER 2023, WHICH WAS CHAMPIONED BY THE POLICY CENTER THROUGH FEDERAL LEGISLATION TO COORDINATE EFFORTS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND DEVELOP, WITH APPOINTED EXTERNAL LEADERS, THE FIRST NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN. THIS YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN HEAVILY ENGAGED IN THE WORK OF THE TASK FORCE AND WERE PROUD THAT, IN MAY, THE TASK FORCE RELEASED THE NATIONAL STRATEGY AT THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HEADQUARTERS IN DC, ALONG WITH A NEW REPORT TO CONGRESS. ALSO IN MAY, WE PARTNERED WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO DECLARE THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH (MMH) AWARENESS WEEK, USING OUR MODEL LEGISLATION USED BY MANY STATES TO DO THE SAME. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH WAS RECOGNIZED THROUGH AN AWARENESS WEEK/MONTH RESOLUTION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, DESIGNED TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND ITS EFFECTS ON MATERNAL-CHILD HEALTH. IN 2024, IN ADDITION TO ENGAGING WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES THROUGH THE TASK FORCE, WE CONTINUED TO ENGAGE WITH KEY FEDERAL AGENCIES TO SHARE INSIGHTS AND SHAPE AGENCY RESPONSES. THESE AGENCIES INCLUDED THE CENTERS FOR MEDICAID AND MEDICARE SERVICES (CMS/CMMI), THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC), THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THE HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (HRSA), THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA), AND THE WHITE HOUSE. ALSO IN MAY, THE POLICY CENTER RELEASED THE SECOND ANNUAL STATE MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH REPORT CARDS AT OUR CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING TITLED SAVING AND SUPPORTING MOMS. THE REPORT CARDS AGAIN RELIED ON 18 DATA SETS, INCLUDING DATA PRODUCED EXTERNALLY AND OUR OWN DATA/REPORTS. THE REPORT CARDS ILLUSTRATED THAT STATES MADE MINIMAL PROGRESS, WITH THE US INCHING UP FROM A D TO A D+, OVERALL. THE REPORT CARDS WERE FEATURED IN VARIOUS LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA AND HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND POINTING TO AN EVIDENCE-BASED PATH FORWARD. COMMENT LETTERS TO LAWMAKERS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON POLICY ARE ALSO A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF OUR POLICY WORK. THIS YEAR, WE WROTE FOUR LETTERS TO SHARE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICY PRIORITIES (TOPICS INCLUDED PAID LEAVE, SCREENING RATE REPORTING, AND MATERNAL HEALTH DATASETS) WITH KEY FEDERAL LEADERS (INCLUDING THE MMH TASK FORCE, CONGRESSIONAL WORKING GROUPS, AND NCQA). WE ALSO SUPPORTED OTHER NONPROFITS' POLICY WORK BY SIGNING ON TO 50 ADDITIONAL LETTERS. TO ENSURE ACCESS TO THE FEDERAL DEVELOPMENTS IMPACTING THE FIELD, THE POLICY CENTER TRACKED AND SYNTHESIZED THESE ACTIVITIES BY PUBLISHING THIRTEEN BLOGS AND ARTICLES THIS YEAR ON TOPICS RANGING FROM TRACKING PRENATAL DEPRESSION SCREENING TO MATERNAL HEALTH PARITY AND PAYMENT. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO TRACK ENACTED STATE LEGISLATION, INCLUDING CREATING A REPORT ANALYZING AND CATEGORIZING THE TWELVE MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH LAWS ENACTED IN 2024. WE CONTINUED TO RUN OUR TWO STATE POLICY FELLOWS PROGRAMS (FOR NON-PROFITS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES) TO SHARE DATA, HEAR FROM EXPERTS ABOUT PROGRAMS AND POLICIES THAT ARE WORKING, AND ALLOW PARTICIPANTS TO LEARN AND SHARE IN A 12-MONTH LEARNING COMMUNITY. TWENTY-FOUR FELLOWS GRADUATED IN JUNE, AND THE COHORT THAT STARTED MID-YEAR INCLUDED 60 GOVERNMENT AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS IN OUR STATE POLICY FELLOWS PROGRAMS, INCLUDING LEADERS FROM 11 STATE MEDICAID AGENCIES. ADDITIONALLY, WE PROVIDE ONGOING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO FELLOWS WHO GRADUATE FROM THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING TRACKING THEIR PROGRESS, WHICH HAVE INCLUDED PROGRAMS RANGING FROM THE CREATION OF A STATEWIDE MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A BIDIRECTIONAL LINKAGE OF CARE MODEL BETWEEN PEDIATRIC AND OBSTETRICS CLINICS TO SUPPORT NEW MOTHERS WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS.

MOM CONGRESS - THIS YEAR, MOM CONGRESS, A PROJECT OF THE POLICY CENTER, BECAME AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. THE POLICY CENTER CREATED THE PROJECT IN 2019, IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NON-PROFITS, TO BRING MOTHERS AND ADVOCATES TO CAPITOL HILL TO SHARE THEIR STORIES TO ADVANCE MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH, EARLY PARENTING SUPPORT, PAID LEAVE, AND CHILD CARE. LEADING UP TO THE SPIN-OFF, MOM CONGRESS EXPERIENCED A YEAR OF CONTINUED GROWTH AND EXPANSION, DEVELOPING NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS ALIGNED TO ITS MISSION AND VISION. MOM CONGRESS WAS SUCCESSFUL IN DEVELOPING THE 2024 MOMS' AGENDA, GROWING AND TRAINING MEMBERS IN POLICY AND ADVOCACY, AND SUPPORTING NEW NONPROFIT PARTNERS. IN MAY, THE MOM CONGRESS CONVENTION BROUGHT TOGETHER MOTHERS, PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN DC TO ADVOCATE FOR LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE MOTHERHOOD. NEARLY 50 ADVOCATES GATHERED TOGETHER ON MAY 15, REPRESENTING 25 STATES. THE EVENT INCLUDED MOM CONGRESS'S ANNUAL "SAVING AND SUPPORTING MOMS" CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING AND CONGRESSIONAL RECEPTION.