Requires SUNY and CUNY institutions which offer a master of social work degree program to offer a maternal mental health elective course to students

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic9

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Samra Brouk says this is needed

Maternal mental health conditions are the most common complications associated with childbirth and the leading cause of maternal mortality in New York. Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) include depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and psychosis during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Overall, at least one in five pregnant and postpar- tum women struggle with a PMAD - while up to 40% of Black and Brown birthing women experience these conditions due to structural inequities and racism. An estimated 75% of all cases remain undiagnosed and untreated. Untreated illness contributes to preterm birth, low birth weight, impaired bonding, long-term cognitive and developmental chal- lenges for children, and in severe cases, suicide and infanticide. These consequences cost the U.S. an estimated $14 billion annually. National workforce data reveal a widening crisis. HRSA's National Center for Health Workforce Analysis has projected growing shortages in mental health providers through 2037. A 2025 report from the Policy Center for Mental Health found that 84% of birthing age women in the United States live in areas with a shortage of perinatal mental health professionals. Kings County and Queens County two of the most populous counties in New York-rank among the top 15 counties nationwide with the greatest perinatal mental health resource needs and the highest provider shortages. Many low-income rural New York counties have only one or no maternal mental health specialist serving an entire region. A core driver of this PMAD crisis is the shortage of culturally respon- sive, perinatally trained mental health providers. Expanding access to perinatal mental health education within New York's public university system offers an achievable strategy to reduce this gap. Encouraging all CUNY and SUNY Master of Social Work (MSW) programs to offer a mater- nal mental health elective would significantly increase the state's workforce, improve access to specialized care in under-resourced commu- nities, and help reduce New York's persistent maternal mental health crisis. This bill focuses on educating graduate students in Masters of Social Work programs to address the shortage of trained social workers in the area of maternal mental health. By requiring that all master's level social work programs in the SUNY and CUNY systems offer an elective course in maternal mental health New York will provide access to specialized care, advance health equity in maternal mental health resources and effectuate better health outcomes for our birthing age women and the children they raise.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.