Category Archives: The MOTHERS Act

Called my Senators!

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I am proud to say that I called the Georgia Senators today to urge their support of the Mother’s Act, bill s 1375. I will paste what I wrote up to say to them (which ended up being a guideline and was not read word for word once I got on the phone)

I will say that Sen. Chambliss’ office actually listened to what I had to say and seemed more open to my story. Sen. Isakson’s office didn’t even let me get past barely mentioning the bill before they thanked me for the call and hung up. Guess I’ll have to email him.

Here’s the “script” I used:

  Hello this is Lauren Hale, one of the Senator’s constituents from GA. I am calling to ask the Senator to co-sponsor The MOTHERS Act bill number S. 1375, sponsored by Senator Menendez, which will provide funding for research, education, screening and treatment of postpartum depression. 800,000 new US mothers will be diagnosed with a Postpartum Disorder this year yet only 120,000 of them will receive treatment leaving 680,000 new moms suffering without the support of the medical community. This is a gap we cannot afford to ignore any longer. If you have a moment, I’d like to share with you my reason for urging the Senator’s support of this important bill.

I believe in this bill as a result of two personal experiences with a Postpartum Depression Disorder. One episode was treated and included hospitalization; one went untreated due to the lack of knowledge on the part of my physician and I, an occurrence this bill will prevent for other women.
I have since founded my own peer support organization for women with PPD, volunteer with Postpartum Support International, and also moderate online support for women and families suffering from Postpartum Depression. I am also blogging my third and unexpected pregnancy so that others facing pregnancy after PPD will not have to go it alone.
It is of the utmost importance that women with Postpartum Depression Disorders receive timely and proper treatment for their illness and the passage of the MOTHERS Act is imperative in order for this to become a reality. Please do not let the Senator’s constituents or mothers across the nation continue to suffer alone and in silence. Give them a voice as well as a strong, reliable and hopeful path towards the recovery they so desperately seek.  

Blog Day for MOTHER’S ACT Support Information

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Tomorrow, Oct. 24th, is BLOG DAY in support of the MOTHER’S ACT. The following has been copied from www.postpartum.net and you will find a new page with Senator Contact info listed by state. This info also indicates who has already signed on as a co-sponsor. Even if you’re not a blogger, please call your senator.

 Here’s the message from PSI President Susan Stone:

Thank you for taking time to participate in this LIFE SAVING legislative initiative which will help to end the suffering of thousands of mothers, infants and families, while offering education, research and training to those who are charged with their care. Together, we are a powerful force to support the promotion of The MOTHERS Act until it becomes federal law.  The implementation of this pivotal pro-social supportive legislation will offer crucial safeguards to women, children and families.

PLEASE LET OUR NATION AND LEGISLATORS KNOW YOU WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS ISSUE TO BE IGNORED ANY LONGER. This is a bipartisan issue that BOTH Democratic and Republican state senators need to support. Just PICK UP THE PHONE and CALL!! If the line is busy, call back or leave your message.

And if your state senator has already signed on to sponsor The MOTHERS Act, call them anyway to express your thanks and support of their stance, to let them know how much this matters and to keep their attention focused on the issue!

A suggested script is below to help the legislative responders in each office identify the referenced bill and the reason for your call. But feel free to add your own powerful and personal ideas/statements about why you feel the passage of this legislation is so important!

REMEMBER – Up to 800,000 women in the U.S. will develop a diagnosable perinatal mood disorder this year! (This does not include women whose babies are stillborn, who miscarry or suffer pregnancy termination). Yet only 15% of these women will receive any treatment. We need to do a better job screening, educating and treating our nation’s mothers! The MOTHERS Act addresses these concerns and offers the common sense and needed remedies of screening, education, provision of services and research. Thanks to your efforts it will not go unnoticed! Let’s move this out of the HELP committee and into the full senate!!

Warmly,

Susan

 Suggested Script

“Hello this is (your name) one of Senator (Senator’s name) constituents from (your town). I am calling to ask the Senator to co-sponsor The MOTHERS Act bill number S. 1375, sponsored by Senator Menendez, which will provide funding for research, education, screening and treatment of postpartum depression.”

Attention Fellow Bloggers!

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POSTPARTUM SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL
in partnership with
BlogHer and Postpartum Progress announce
 
BLOG DAY FOR THE MOTHERS ACT, OCTOBER 24, 2007

Bloggers across the country encouraged to call their U.S. Senator on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 in support of The MOTHERS Act
 
Postpartum Support International, the world largest non-profit organization devoted to the support of perinatal mental health, has joined forces with BlogHer, the web’s number one guide to women bloggers and Postpartum Progress to galvanize support for the passage of The MOTHERS Act – The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act. On Wednesday, October 24th, bloggers across the country will write about taking action on this critical legislation by placing calls to their state’s senators urging sponsorship and support of The MOTHERS Act.
 
The MOTHERS Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez, (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) will ensure that new moms and their families are educated about PPD, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services.  It will also increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression.
 
Specifically, The MOTHERS Act will help new moms by:
 
Providing important education and screening on postpartum depression (PPD) that can lead to early identification and treatment.  The legislation includes two grants to help health care providers educate, identify and treat PPD.
 
Expanding important research to improve and discover new treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for providers.  Since the exact cause of PPD isn’t known, research continues to be the key to unlocking the mystery of this condition. 
 
Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects up to 20 percent of new mothers  –  800,000 American women each year. Yet only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment .Untreated, consequences of maternal mood disorders range from chronic, disabling depression to death. Consequences of untreated maternal depression on infants/children range from behavioral and learning disabilities to depression and death.
 
Susan Dowd Stone, president of Postpartum Support International states “The good news is that perinatal mood disorders are preventable and easily treated once detected. The MOTHERS Act legislation is key because its initiatives are preventive, educational and treatment oriented. PSI urges you to participate in this important campaign.
 
Lisa Stone, BlogHer Co-founder and CEO, said “The BlogHer community has chosen Global Health as the focus for our year-long blogging activism initiative, BlogHers Act. Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act is exactly the kind of project where BlogHer’s community can make a difference on legislation that will save women’s lives.
 
Katherine Stone, author of the Posptartum Progress blog, adds “Postpartum mood disorders are a disease of motherhood — they can affect any woman who becomes a mother, regardless of who she is.  If we don’t do something to better educate and treat the mothers who may suffer, we are doing a disservice to all mothers, children and families everywhere. All it takes is a phone call to let the Senate know that the women of America want the MOTHERS Act to pass.”
 
Postpartum Support International is the world’s largest nonprofit organization offering support, referrals, education, training, and resources to health care providers, women, and families coping with perinatal mood disorders. With coordinators in 49 states and 29 countries around the world, PSI is well-positioned to continue its mission of eradicating perinatal mental illness in every community worldwide. Thousands of women and concerned family members call our national warm line each year, attend our annual conference for healthcare providers and consumers, and visit our website to find local resources and support. PSI’s website www.postpartum.net and warmline 1-800-944-4773.
 
BlogHer , founded in February 2005 as a labor of love by three bloggers, BlogHer’s mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. Today BlogHer provides the number-one community for and guide to blogs by women, via annual conferences, a Web network (http://blogher.com), and an advertising network of more than 800 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates (http://blogherads.com). BlogHer Inc. is majority-owned by three co-founders and has backing from Venrock (http://venrock.com).
Postpartum Progress (http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com) is the most widely-read blog in the United States on postpartum mood disorders, which include postpartum depression, postpartum OCD/anxiety and postpartum psychosis.  It is authored by Katherine Stone, who suffered postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder with the birth of her son in 2001 and is now an advocate for women with these illnesses. Stone’s articles on PPD have appeared in such places as Newsweek and www.womenshealth.gov, a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website. She is also a guest editor on the topic of postpartum depression at BlogHer, and has appeared on CNN.com, Yahoo! and E! News Online.
 
For additional inquiries, please call (201) 567-5596 or email susanstonelcsw@aol.com