By SUSAN DOWD STONE
Featured Blogger
The historic passage of Healthcare Reform also makes history for America’s mothers as language from The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act becomes LAW!!!
Finally, the plight of millions of American women, infants and families has been acknowledged and the tide forever turned! With this long sought federal mandate, states will find more support for PPD programs, researchers will find funding encouragement to continue their search for etiology and cure, and communities will harken to respond to this unmet need. Grants will be made available to fund a variety of entities and programs charged with caring for women suffering from postpartum depression.
There are no words to express our collective gratitude to the following individuals who began this march oh so long ago. Each step was filled with conviction, tears, controversy, guts, belief, outrage, setbacks and hope. And tonight, we can all begin to feel that at long last the doors and hearts of America are open to the maternal suffering that may no longer be silent and stigmatized.
To U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, you are an unwavering champion of the women and infants you represent. Against all odds, you never once set aside this initiative. You are not the Senator from New Jersey, you are the Senator of America’s mothers.
To NJ Senate President Richard Codey and the courageous Mary Jo - beloved by all for taking on the most difficult role of her life – with your example, your stigma busting campaign and your groundbreaking state legislation, you set the bar for our nation to follow. “Speak Up When You’re Down” she said. And women have not been silent since.
To Congressman Bobby L. Rush, who brought the House to its feet with near unanimous consensus and forceful leadership on this issue, your unfaltering crusade has led us to this moment. Without your work, your belief, our voices would still be murmurs of closeted shame. You are the change you sought, you live the life you lead others to believe in.
And to Carol Blocker, who has walked a million miles to share her story of incomprehensible heartache so that others might be spared excruciating loss, know that Melanie Blocker Stokes lives not only in the eyes of Somer Skyye, but in every program and community which will safeguard their mothers. We Thank God for Carol’s advocacy.
Each one of us is aligned with one or all of these heroes. Be it through motherhood, fatherhood, childhood, advocacy, organizational and individual support, a foundation born of tragedy, experience, research, blogging, writing, singing, creating, art, music, medicine, psychology, non profit leadership, endurance, courage, community action or voices in unison, you have all indeed made a life saving difference.
And for every mother and child lost to this illness…every square on Postpartum Support International’s Memory Quilt…. read each year by PSI’s Founder Jane Honikman…you are not forgotten and your life continues to infuse helping, caring spirit throughout the community of motherhood.
To every person who signed the petition, know that your signature was seen; that it carried weight. From Congressional offices to Qunnipiac pollsters, the petition was read and referenced again and again. You fearlessly listed your names, dared to make your stand known, and said, Enough is Enough. You have won. Thank you for your virtual presence, your letters, your phone calls, your support, your persistence.
Below is the language included in tonight’s Senate Bill which will now become law. Note that it does NOT mandate screening OR subsidize medication. The breadth and depth of the services encouraged and supported by its initiatives open the door to programs from concrete services to help new mothers, to education, public awareness and support, research and access to treatment.
When we began this journey, we did so with the acknowledgement that the experience of motherhood is apolitical, universal in its reach. Tonight, let that shared love and reverence reach above political differences and prevail in this celebration of life-saving victory for America’s mother, infants and families.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Health care for postpartum depression
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The passage of the Health Care Reform Bill is an excellent start when it comes to postpartum depression but it should be remembered that it also introduces an new set of challenges and responsibilities. Too much mental health legislation and so many initiatives have failed to deliver what we hoped for or what was promised in terms of treatment and outcomes. The words and deeds simply failed to intersect.
In terms of legislation we need look no further then the legislation governing New Jersey's State psychiatric hospitals: "It is the policy of this state that persons in the public mental health system receive inpatient treatment and rehabilitation services in accordance with the highest professional standards...." The subsequent reality has been quite different. New Jersey's largest state psychiatric hospital, Ancora, is now the subject of a scathing Department of Justice report.
In terms of initiatives consider the "Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide." Tragically, in the intervening decade our nation's suicide rate has not declined and it has been suggested that it has increased.
Persons suffering from postpartum depression have every right to expect that messages and reality intersect. Will the message of recognize, reach out, receive treatment, and recover reflect reality? Will anyone care to insure the continuing accountability which considers the nature, timing, and the extent of the treatment provided for postnatal depression and the outcomes it routinely engenders? Noble words subsequently require noble deeds. Let's be certain that these very deeds happen here.
Post a Comment