Senate Bill S.557 (Krueger)/A.4117 (Reyes) — An act to designate the month of May as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month.
EmblemHealth is proud to support New York State legislation S.557(Krueger)/A.4117(Reyes) that would designate May as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month. This designation would elevate a critical public health priority and underscore the importance of supporting the mental well-being of pregnant women.
While May is already recognized nationally as Mental Health Awareness Month, this bill highlights the specific mental health challenges among pregnant adults and new parents. According to the New York Office of Mental Health, between 15 – 20 percent of all women experience some form of pregnancy-related depression or anxiety.1 Identified by the New York State Department of Health as the third leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, it is critical that more resources and attention are given to this largely preventable trend.2 This crisis disproportionally women of color, especially Black women, in all facets of maternal health outcomes.
EmblemHealth remains committed to improving maternal mental health. Our Healthy Futures Program supports mothers who are high risk or enrolled in Medicaid to ensure safe and healthy pregnancies. In response to expanded coverage for doula services, we are leading a collaborative effort with the New York City Department of Health and other community partners to develop program recommendations. Recently, we partnered with Mae Health, a digital health platform, to expand access to culturally responsive maternal care for Medicaid members by connecting them with local doulas for in-person or virtual support. This program provides real-time assistance, symptom tracking, education, and emotional support. We also partner with Pomelo Care, which offers virtual maternity care, including prenatal care and postpartum mental health support, to our members up to one year after birth. Further, we created self-advocacy checklists to support individuals through pregnancy, labor, and delivery. To confront the disparity among Black women, we hosted a virtual educational discussion on Black maternal health to share information about available support and advocacy. We also support provider-to-provider education on maternal mental health topics through informational newsletters and articles shared within our network.3
Recognizing that mental well‑being is closely tied to basic needs, EmblemHealth prioritizes access to breastfeeding support, baby‑feeding resources, and connections to essential social services such as WIC and SNAP through our 15 EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care locations. Our affiliated practice, AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY),4 delivers OB/GYN care at 31 medical offices throughout the five boroughs and Long Island, serving a patient population that is predominantly people of color — 45% Black or African American and 20% Hispanic or Latino.
Addressing disparities in maternal mental health outcomes requires comprehensive action. EmblemHealth is proud of its ongoing commitment to women’s health and will continue to expand efforts that support our members and communities. Establishing May as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month represents a meaningful step forward, acknowledging both the progress already made and the work still ahead. We strongly support the passage of Senate Bill 557 / Assembly Bill 4117.