Maternal mental health.

Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to maintain, to the extent resources are available, a permanent statewide community-based comprehensive perinatal system to provide care and services to low-income pregnant women and their infants who are considered underserved in terms of comprehensive perinatal care. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, which is within the California Health and Human Services Agency, to develop and maintain a statewide community-based comprehensive perinatal services program to, among other program objectives, ensure the appropriate level of maternal, newborn, and pediatric care services necessary to provide the healthiest outcome for mother and infant. Existing law authorizes the department to maintain a mental health service that shall advise and assist local departments of health and education in the establishment of mental health services. This bill would create a pilot program, in counties that elect to participate, designed to increase the capacity of health providers that serve pregnant and postpartum women up to one year after delivery to effectively prevent, identify, and manage postpartum depression and other mental health conditions. The pilot program would be privately funded. The bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the pilot program 6 months after the results of the pilot program are reported, as specified.