Senator Hassan’s Bipartisan Bill to Improve Maternal Mental Health Now Law; Supported by Leading Maternal Health Advocacy Group
The nonprofit organization 2020 Mom recently praised the passage of Senator Hassan’s bipartisan bill that creates a federal taskforce and national strategy to improve maternal mental health outcomes and expand mental health resources for new mothers. The bill was signed into law as part of the year-end government funding bill.
"Mental health challenges are incredibly common among new moms, and we must take additional action to address those challenges in a meaningful way," said Senator Hassan. "Our bipartisan bill takes an important step toward supporting maternal mental health and ensuring that moms have the support that they need through every step of their journey. I'm glad that our commonsense bill was included in the government funding bill.”
"Maternal Mental Health has long-standing impacts on mothers, families and society. Passage of the TRIUMPH Act ensures that it no longer falls through the cracks and is addressed head-on at the federal level, and provides critical direction to states. The time is absolutely now to address maternal mental health and we couldn't be more pleased that Congress agrees," said Joy Burkhard, Executive Director of 2020 Mom.
This builds on Senator Hassan’s previous work to improve maternal and newborn health care in New Hampshire and across the country. In 2018, bipartisan legislation was signed into law that Senator Hassan cosponsored to help reduce shortages in maternity care by identifying areas lacking maternal health professionals and incentivizing providers to practice in these underserved communities.
To read 2020 Mom’s full release, see here or below:
2020 Mom Announces the Passage of The Federal TRIUMPH for New Moms Act
The federal bill that 2020 Mom has championed, was passed by Congress and calls for the development of a national strategic plan to address maternal mental health.
Washington, DC - December 23, 2022
As a result of an effort led by the national maternal mental health advocacy organization, 2020 Mom, the TRIUMPH for New Moms Act (H.R.4217/S.2779) was passed by Congress in its end-of-year omnibus, to create the first-ever national Maternal Mental Health taskforce.
The bipartisan TRIUMPH for New Moms Act (“TRIUMPH”) was introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Representatives Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44), Larry Bucshon (R-IN-08), Young Kim (R-CA-39) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-AL) to create a national strategy to address maternal mental health disorders, and coordination and integration of maternal mental health into existing maternal, infant, and mental health activities at the federal level. More specifically, TRIUMPH promotes federal collaboration between agencies and departments to protect and address the mental health of new mothers and creates recommendations to state governors, House and Senate Committees, and relevant federal agencies to improve maternal mental health outcomes.
“Maternal Mental Health has long-standing impacts on mothers, families and society. Passage of the TRIUMPH Act ensures that it no longer falls through the cracks and is addressed head-on at the federal level, and provides critical direction to states. The time is absolutely now to address maternal mental health and we couldn’t be more pleased that Congress agrees,” said Joy Burkhard, Executive Director of 2020 Mom.
“Mental health challenges are incredibly common among new moms, and we must take additional action to address those challenges in a meaningful way,” Senator Maggie Hassan, the co-author of the Senate bill said. “Our bipartisan bill takes an important step toward supporting maternal mental health and ensuring that moms have the support that they need through every step of their journey. I’m glad that our commonsense bill was included in the government funding bill,” she said.
2020 Mom applauds the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and all Members of Congress who voted to pass the TRIUMPH for New Moms Act in the end-of-year omnibus.
About 2020 Mom
2020 Mom is working to prevent the suffering of mothers, babies, and families associated with untreated maternal mental health disorders, like postpartum depression. 2020 Mom has driven the national conversation from one centered around raising awareness of one disorder, postpartum depression, to building a movement to address maternal mental health. The organization's work centers around closing gaps in the healthcare system by scaling change through identification of evidence-based and emerging solutions, cross-sector collaboration, and driving state and federal legislative and regulatory policy solutions.
###
