What's happening
This bill requires maternal health care providers to use validated questionnaires to screen for maternal depression during prenatal, postnatal, and pediatric visits, with patient consent for sharing results.
Why it matters
Earlier and repeated screening for maternal depression. is likely to identify mental health issues in mothers during pregnancy, after childbirth, and during pediatric visits, potentially leading to earlier intervention and better outcomes for both mothers and infants.
Use of validated, standardized tools. (like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale or Beck Depression Inventory) ensures that screenings are evidence-based and consistent, increasing the reliability of identifying depression.
Requires care providers to act upon professional judgment. to repeat screenings if there is a reasonable possibility of maternal depression, allowing for flexibility and responsiveness to individual patient needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Consent requirement for sharing screening results. protects patient privacy, but with an exception if the mother is considered a danger to herself or others, balancing confidentiality with safety concerns.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Maternal Depression Screenings
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7138
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 10, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to maternal depression screenings
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 2500-k of the public health law is amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
(c) "Questionnaire" means an assessment tool administered by a licensed health care professional, to detect maternal depression such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Patient Health Questionnaire, or other validated assessment methods as approved by the commissioner.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 2500-k of the public health law is renumbered subdivision 4 and a new subdivision 3 is added to read as follows:
3. Maternal depression screenings. (a) Maternal health care providers providing prenatal care at a prenatal visit shall invite each pregnant patient to complete a questionnaire and shall review the completed questionnaire in accordance with the formal opinions and recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Assessment for maternal depression must be repeated when, in the professional judgment of the maternal health care provider, a reasonable possibility exists that the pregnant patient suffers from maternal depression.
(b) Maternal health care providers providing postnatal care to women shall invite each patient to complete a questionnaire and shall review the completed questionnaire in accordance with the formal opinions of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Assessment for maternal depression must be repeated when, in the professional judgment
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10834-01-7
A. 7138 2
of the maternal health care provider, a reasonable possibility exists that the pregnant patient suffers from maternal depression.
(c) Maternal health care providers providing pediatric care to an infant shall invite the infant's mother to complete a questionnaire at any well-child check-up at which the mother is present prior to the infant's first birthday, and shall review the completed questionnaire in accordance with the formal opinions and recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in order to ensure that the health and well-being of the infant is not compromised by an undiagnosed condition of maternal depression in the mother. Assessment for maternal depression must be repeated when, in the professional judgment of the maternal health care provider, a reasonable possibility exists that the pregnant patient suffers from maternal depression.
(d) Consent from the mother must be obtained before a maternal health care provider may share results from an assessment with the mother's primary licensed health care professional, unless the mother is determined to present a danger to herself or others.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and completed by the commissioner of health on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.