Bill Text: VA HJR606 | 2015 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Maternal Mental Health Month; designating as May 2015, and each succeeding year thereafter.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-02-25 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ606ER) [HJR606 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2015-HJR606-Prefiled.html
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15102441D WHEREAS, the health and safety of all Virginians is important to the happiness, well-being, and prosperity of the Commonwealth's families and communities; and WHEREAS, up to 80 percent of new mothers experience changes in their emotional health following childbirth, regardless of age, culture, or socioeconomic status; and WHEREAS, 15 to 20 percent of pregnant women and new mothers experience moderate to severe symptoms, collectively known as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions; and WHEREAS, one to two in every 1,000 mothers in the United States will experience postpartum psychosis, a medical emergency that poses an immediate threat of suicide or infanticide; and WHEREAS, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can develop at any time during pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth; they impact not only the mother, but also the child, father, and entire family unit; and WHEREAS, research has shown that untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy or postpartum can negatively affect birth outcomes and infant development, including mother-infant attachment and bonding, infant mental health and brain development, long-term social and cognitive development of the child, and the well-being of the entire family unit; and WHEREAS, maternal risk factors for developing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can be reliably identified, assessed, and treated by health care providers and public health systems; and WHEREAS, with proper awareness, education, intervention, and resources, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are highly treatable, with interventions demonstrating positive effects on both mothers and children; and WHEREAS, increasing public awareness among all Virginia health care providers and families on the prevalence, identification, and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders has significant potential to save lives and prevent the unnecessary suffering experienced by many families during pregnancy or following childbirth; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate May, in 2015 and in each succeeding year, as Maternal Mental Health Month in Virginia; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to Dr. Natasha Sriraman, board member and education chair of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this month on the General Assembly's website. |
