PRINTER'S NO. 55
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
74
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, BREWSTER, SABATINA, SCAVELLO, FARNESE,
SCHWANK AND RAFFERTY, JANUARY 12, 2017
REFERRED TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, JANUARY 12, 2017
AN ACT
Requiring information relating to parenting and prenatal
depression, postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis and
other emotional trauma counseling and screening to be
provided to a pregnant woman; and providing for the powers
and duties of the Department of Health.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Prenatal and
Postpartum Counseling and Screening Act.
Section 2. Counseling information and screening.
(a) Duty to provide.--A hospital, birthing center,
physician, nurse-midwife or midwife who provides prenatal care
to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an infant
shall:
(1) Provide the woman with a fact sheet that includes
common symptoms of the medical conditions of prenatal
depression, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis
and for emotional traumas associated with pregnancy and
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parenting. The fact sheet shall present, in a prominent
place, the following statement:
Prenatal depression, postpartum depression and postpartum
psychosis are serious medical conditions that require a
physician's evaluation and recommendations for treatment.
If you are suffering from any of the signs and symptoms
of these conditions, you should immediately inform your
treating physician or psychiatric physician.
(2) Provide the woman with a resource list of the names,
addresses and telephone numbers of professional organizations
that provide prenatal counseling, postpartum counseling and
assistance to parents.
(3) Screen the woman for postpartum depression symptoms
prior to discharge from the birthing facility and at the
first few postnatal check-up visits.
(4) Document in the patient's record that the patient
received the information described in paragraph (1).
(5) Retain the documentation for at least three years in
the hospital's, birthing center's, physician's, nurse-
midwife's or midwife's records.
(b) Resources to be included.--The information under
subsection (a) shall include resources a pregnant woman may
contact to receive treatment, counseling and assistance for the
medical conditions of prenatal depression, postpartum depression
and postpartum psychosis and for emotional traumas associated
with pregnancy and parenting.
(c) Presumption of compliance.--A hospital, birthing center,
physician, nurse-midwife or midwife who provides prenatal care
to a woman during gestation or at delivery is presumed to have
complied with this section if the woman received prior prenatal
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care from another hospital, birthing center, physician, nurse-
midwife or midwife in this Commonwealth during the same
pregnancy.
Section 3. Powers and duties of the Department of Health.
The Department of Health shall:
(1) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations if
necessary to carry out the purposes and provisions of this
act.
(2) Enforce this act and the rules and regulations
promulgated under this act.
(3) Make available on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website a printable list of professional
organizations that provide pregnancy counseling and
assistance to parents, along with a fact sheet and the
statement as referenced in section 2(a)(1).
(4) Update the list required under paragraph (3) on a
monthly basis.
Section 4. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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