Advisory committee to research, expand access to postpartum mental health resources in Arizona

PHOENIX — A new state law hopes to empower new moms to ask for help without shame or guilt.

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2332, which will expand access to postpartum maternal health care, into law last month.

How will this Arizona law help new moms?

Republican State Rep. Julie Willoughby, who sponsored the bill, said it will address what she calls “obstetrics deserts.” The term refers to areas that lack hospitals or providers who serve gynecological and maternal mental health patients.

“In Arizona, we have a lack of access to care, specifically related to OB postpartum,” Willoughby told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

Willoughby hopes the law will solve the issue by directing the Arizona Department of Health Services to form an advisory committee to gather research on postpartum depression and help increase resources where they’re lacking.

“We do see the highest risk in the rural areas and communities of Arizona, but it does impact more than just the rural areas,” Willoughby said.

The committee is necessary because new moms struggling to adapt to the reality of caring for a baby have few resources, she added.

This committee will consist of OB-GYNs, family doctors, midwives, doulas and representatives from rural hospitals, tribal health facilities, insurers and emergency providers, according to the Arizona House of Representatives.

“The board is made up of major professionals in the area to help us gather data, then decipher the data, then make Arizona a better state for postpartum and mental health,” Willoughby said.

What else will committee do to help new moms in Arizona?

The advisory committee will also be focused on educating families about postpartum depression because it’s often the family members who may notice the symptoms first.

“A lot of times it’s not the mother that notices … warning signs. It’s typically the family members around them and those individuals typically aren’t educated in this,” Willoughby said.

The group will spread postpartum mental health education materials online, at OB offices and at pediatrician’s offices where they will be shared with family members at a newborn’s checkups.

Willoughby said new moms go to the pediatrician a lot to check on the baby’s health, but neglect their own health post birth because they’re so busy with the new baby.

“It’s okay if you’re not feeling 100%, if you don’t feel that something is exactly right, to go and seek out that help,” she said of new moms.

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