Sec. 14. Maternal mental health conditions prevention and treatment.

474 words·~2 min read·/il/chapter-405/act-120/14

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Sec. 14. Maternal mental health conditions prevention and treatment. The Department of Human Services, in conjunction with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, shall work with birthing hospitals and licensed health care professionals in this State to develop policies, procedures, information, and educational materials to meet each of the following requirements concerning maternal mental health conditions:

(1)Licensed health care professionals providing prenatal care to women shall provide

education to women and, if possible and with permission, to their families about maternal mental health conditions in accordance with the formal opinions and recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

(2)Upon the Department of Human Services providing written information to birthing

hospitals, all birthing hospitals shall provide new mothers, prior to discharge following childbirth, and, if possible, shall provide fathers and other family members with complete information about maternal mental health conditions, including their symptoms, methods of coping with the illness, treatment resources, post-hospital treatment options, and community resources. Hospitals shall supplement the resources provided by the Department to include relevant resources offered by the hospital, in the region, or community in which the birthing hospital is located, if available. Resources may be provided in an electronic format such as website links or QR Codes.

(3)Licensed health care professionals 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 mental health conditions must be repeated when, in the professional judgment of the licensed health care professional, a reasonable possibility exists that the woman suffers from a maternal mental health condition.

(4)Licensed health care professionals 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 and recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

(5)Licensed health care professionals providing pediatric care to an infant shall

invite the infant's mother to complete a questionnaire at any well-baby 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 are not compromised by an undiagnosed maternal mental health condition in the mother. In order to share results from an assessment with the mother's primary licensed health care professional, consent should be obtained from the mother in accordance with the Illinois Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

If the mother is determined to present an acute danger to herself or someone else, consent is not required.