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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY BROWN, BISHOP, BOYLE, BRIGGS, COHEN, FREEMAN, GRUCELA, JOHNSON, JOSEPHS, MANDERINO, MANN, MELIO, MIRABITO, MURPHY, M. O'BRIEN, PARKER, PHILLIPS, READSHAW, SANTARSIERO, THOMAS AND YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 26, 2009 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, MARCH 26, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Requiring information relating to parenting and prenatal |
2 | depression, postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis and |
3 | other emotional trauma counseling to be provided to a woman |
4 | who is pregnant or has just given birth; and providing for |
5 | the powers and duties of the Department of Health. |
6 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
7 | hereby enacts as follows: |
8 | Section 1. Short title. |
9 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Prenatal and |
10 | Postpartum Counseling Act. |
11 | Section 2. Counseling information. |
12 | (a) Duty to provide.--A hospital, birthing center, neonatal |
13 | intensive care unit, pediatric ward, pediatric intensive care |
14 | unit, physician, nurse-midwife or midwife who provides prenatal |
15 | care to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an |
16 | infant or provides health care to a child up to one year of age |
17 | shall: |
18 | (1) Provide the woman with a fact sheet that includes |
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1 | common symptoms of the medical conditions of prenatal |
2 | depression, postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis and |
3 | for emotional traumas associated with pregnancy and |
4 | parenting. The fact sheet shall present, in a prominent |
5 | place, information in a patient-friendly format that contains |
6 | the following information: |
7 | Prenatal depression, postpartum depression, postpartum |
8 | psychosis and postpartum anxiety disorders are serious |
9 | medical conditions that require a physician's evaluation |
10 | and recommendations for treatment. If you are suffering |
11 | from any of the signs and symptoms of these conditions, |
12 | you should immediately inform your treating physician or |
13 | psychiatric physician. |
14 | (2) Provide the woman with a resource list of the names, |
15 | addresses and telephone numbers of professional organizations |
16 | that provide prenatal and postpartum counseling and |
17 | assistance to parents. |
18 | (3) Document in the patient's record that the patient |
19 | received the information described in paragraph (1). |
20 | (4) Screen the woman for postpartum depression symptoms |
21 | prior to discharge from the birthing facility and at the |
22 | infant's three-month, six-month, nine-month and twelve-month |
23 | checkups. |
24 | (5) Retain the documentation for at least three years in |
25 | the patient records at the hospital, birthing center, |
26 | neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric ward or pediatric |
27 | intensive care unit. |
28 | (b) Resources to be included.--The information under |
29 | subsection (a) shall include a list of entities or agencies that |
30 | a woman who is pregnant or has just given birth may contact to |
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1 | receive treatment, counseling and assistance for the medical |
2 | conditions of prenatal depression, postpartum depression or |
3 | postpartum psychosis and for emotional traumas associated with |
4 | pregnancy and parenting. |
5 | (c) Presumption of compliance.--A hospital, birthing center, |
6 | physician, nurse-midwife or midwife who provides prenatal care |
7 | to a woman during gestation or at delivery is presumed to have |
8 | complied with this section if the woman received prior prenatal |
9 | care from another hospital, birthing center, physician, nurse- |
10 | midwife or midwife in this Commonwealth during the same |
11 | pregnancy. |
12 | Section 3. Powers and duties of Department of Health. |
13 | The Department of Health shall: |
14 | (1) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations necessary |
15 | to carry out the purposes and provisions of this act. |
16 | (2) Enforce this act and the rules and regulations |
17 | promulgated under this act. |
18 | (3) Make available on the department's Internet website |
19 | a printable list of professional organizations that provide |
20 | prenatal and postpartum counseling and assistance to parents, |
21 | along with a fact sheet and the statement in section 2(a)(1). |
22 | (4) Update the list required under paragraph (3) on a |
23 | monthly basis. |
24 | Section 20. Effective date. |
25 | This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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