House Commerce Advances Bill to Create Maternal Mental Health Hotline
The House Commerce Committee unanimously advanced an amended version of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act (HR-7666) that would allocate $10 million annually for fiscal years 2023-2027 to the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a national maternal mental health hotline to provide “voice and text support.” Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., used discussion on the measure to again highlight his view that Congress needs to solidify funding for the impending 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline rollout.
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The maternal mental health hotline would “provide emotional support, information, brief intervention, and mental health and substance use disorder resources to pregnant and postpartum women at risk of, or affected by, maternal mental health and substance use disorders, and to their families or household members,” said a substitute amendment to HR-7666 that House Commerce adopted Wednesday on a voice vote. HHS will be required to “consult with the Domestic Violence Hotline, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Veterans Crisis Line to ensure that pregnant and postpartum women are connected in real-time to the appropriate specialized hotline service, when applicable.”
The amended HR-7666 also directs HHS to publish “best practices for a crisis response continuum of care for use by health care providers, crisis services administrators, and crisis services providers in responding to individuals … experiencing mental health crises, substance-related crises, and crises arising from co-occurring disorders,” including “convening of collaborative meetings of crisis response service providers, first responders including law enforcement, paramedics, and firefighters, and community partners (including National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or 9–8–8 call centers, 9–1–1 public service answering points, and local mental health and substance use disorder treatment providers) operating in a common region for the discussion of case management, best practices, and general performance improvement.”
Cardenas praised 988 language in HR-7666 but renewed his concerns about 988 funding. He filed the 988 Implementation Act (HR-7116) earlier this year to allocate $240 million to the hotline for fiscal years 2023-2027 and $441 million for HHS to award grants to regional and local crisis centers for tech improvements and hiring additional staff (see 2203180078).
“We’re just two months away from 988 going live across the country” and “the stakes couldn’t be higher to get it right,” Cardenas said. “It’s time to walk the talk and actually build out a system across our country that addresses mental health with the same care and response as physical health as we’re accustomed with 911.” Some lawmakers “may believe that 988 is already funded, but let me tell you that is not the reality on the ground,” he said. “If 988 launches and we’re ill-equipped to handle the volume of calls, it will be catastrophic and set back our ability to implement a robust continuum of care.”