I'm very pleased to announce that this Wednesday, October 4 from 9 to 10 a.m., one of my nonprofit clients here in Washington, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), will spotlight perinatal mental healthcare as one of the three most pressing issues facing healthcare providers, policymakers, advocates, women, and families today.

In a Capitol Hill briefing, HMHB will mark its 25th anniversary with special guest speakers on perinatal mental health, child passenger safety, and advances in immunization against infectious disease. Addressing perinatal mental health will be Cynthia Wainscott, Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors, National Mental Health Association who has also worked closely with the Campaign for Mental Health Reform and the World Federation for Mental Health.

In addition to sharing educational materials with the most current evidence-based information available on perinatal mental health, HMHB will also use the briefing to issue a call to action that legislative aids and others who work on the Hill can take back to their Congressional offices. The mandate we hope to send them away with: Turn out the vote in both House and Senate to pass The MOTHERS Act {The Mom's Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research, & Support for Postpartum Depression). For more on this bill, including its incorporation of elements of The Melanie Stokes Bill, click here.

The briefing is open to professionals in the healthcare and women's/children's advocacy fields, as well as to policymakers, members of the media, and the public. It will be held in the Rayburn Building, room B354. To RSVP that you will attend, please email your name and affiliation to: info (at) hmhb (dot) org by Tuesday, October 3. For more details about Wednesday's briefing, click here.