Int. No. 890-A

By Council Members Lee, Restler, Brannan, Ung, Gutiérrez, Farías, Hanif, Narcisse, Schulman, Hudson, Ayala, Sanchez, Cabán, Won, Bottcher, Louis, Yeger, Rivera and Mealy

A Local Law in relation to implementing a pilot program to establish postpartum support groups

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Postpartum support group pilot program. a. Definitions. For purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:

Agency. The term “agency” has the same meaning as set forth in section 1-112 of the administrative code of the city of New York.

Commissioner. The term “commissioner” means the commissioner of health and mental hygiene.

Department. The term “department” means the department of health and mental hygiene.

Postpartum support group. The term “postpartum support group” means a group of postpartum individuals who meet virtually or in-person.

b. Program established. The commissioner shall coordinate with any agency or any community-based organization the commissioner deems appropriate to implement a pilot program to establish postpartum support groups. Such groups shall:

1. Involve professionally facilitated meetings focused on the mental health of postpartum individuals, that include, at a minimum, access to peer support;

2. Make available to such individuals, at a minimum, educational materials on postpartum mental health, resources and techniques for addressing postpartum stressors, and resources regarding home visiting support, lactation consultants, obstetricians, and gynecologists;

3. Incorporate, as deemed appropriate by the commissioner, best practices with respect to maternal mental health that are identified in the most recent report issued by the task force on maternal mental health within the federal department of health and human services pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection (c) and subsection (e) of section 1113 of the consolidated appropriations act of 2023; and

4. Each serve a number of postpartum individuals as determined by the commissioner.

c. Postpartum support group locations. In implementing the pilot program required by subdivision b of this section, the commissioner shall establish:

1. At least 1 postpartum support group in each borough;

2. At least 1 postpartum support group in each of the 3 community districts with the highest rates of postpartum mental health issues, as identified by the commissioner; and

3. At least 1 postpartum support group in each of the 3 community districts facing the greatest community and geographic impacts due to factors including structural racism, high poverty rates, limited access to healthcare services, social determinants of poor mental health, and other factors the department deems relevant.

d. Implementation. The pilot program established by subdivision b of this section shall commence no later than 180 days after the effective date of this local law and shall be in effect for 3 years.

e. Informational materials. 1. The commissioner shall create materials in the designated citywide languages as defined in section 23-1101 of the administrative code of the city of New York that provide information regarding the pilot program established by subdivision b of this section, including but not limited to:

(a) The types of resources provided through the postpartum support groups;

(b) The meeting locations of such groups; and

(c) The telephone number or other contact information for the department.

2. No later than 180 days after the effective date of this local law, the commissioner shall:

(a) Make such materials available to healthcare providers for dissemination to postpartum individuals; and

(b) Post such materials on the department’s website.

f. Report. 1. No later than 1 year after the end of the pilot program established by subdivision b of this section, the commissioner shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and post on the department’s website a report on such program. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

(a) The number of postpartum individuals who were served through such program;

(b) The number of individuals who facilitated meetings of the postpartum support groups established through such program;

(c) The community districts the postpartum support groups were placed in as identified by the commissioner as required by paragraph 2 of subdivision c of this section;

(d) The community districts the postpartum support groups were placed in as identified by the commissioner as required by paragraph 3 of subdivision c of this section;

(e) Whether the commissioner established a postpartum support group in each borough and in certain community districts as required by subdivision c of this section, and if not, the reasons why;

(f) Any challenges with maintaining such program;

(g) Any recommendations for increasing access to mental health resources for postpartum individuals; and

(h) Recommendations as to whether to establish a permanent postpartum support group program and whether and how to expand such program.

2. Such report shall also include a table with a separate row for each postpartum support group, indicated by a unique identification number. Each such row shall include the following information, set forth in separate columns:

(a) Such unique identification number;

(b) The borough in which the postpartum support group was established;

(c) The community district in which such group was established;

(d) The number of postpartum individuals who were served through such group;

(e) The number of individuals who facilitated the meetings of such group; and

(f) The most common meeting location of such group.

3. All data in such report shall be reported in a machine-readable format.

§ 2. This local law takes effect 180 days after it becomes law.

JEF/SOS

LS #16508

9/18/2024 8:15pm