Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§247b–13a Screening and treatment for maternal mental health and substance use disorders

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES › Part Part B— - Federal-State Cooperation › § 247b–13a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must give grants to States, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations to set up, improve, or keep programs that screen, assess, and treat women who are pregnant or who gave birth in the past 12 months for maternal mental health and substance use disorders. To get a grant, those groups must apply and explain how their program will raise the share of women screened and treated in one or more communities and how expanding the program would increase access. Grants should favor projects that work in primary care, partner with community groups, serve areas with high need or disparities, or operate in health professional shortage areas. Funded work must include training and information for primary care providers and relevant staff, plus real-time psychiatric consultation (in person or remote). Grants may also pay for building community links, telehealth, patient navigation, coordination with maternal and child health programs, outreach, multistate efforts, and training on trauma-informed and culturally and linguistically appropriate care. The Secretary will give technical help, identify and share proven practices, pay up to 90 percent of project costs, and Congress authorized $24,000,000 a year for fiscal years 2023–2027.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §247b–13a

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall make grants to States, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations (as such terms are defined in section 5304 of title 25) to establish, improve, or maintain programs for screening, assessment, and treatment services, including culturally and linguistically appropriate services, as appropriate, for women who are postpartum, pregnant, or have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for maternal mental health and substance use disorders.
(b)To seek a grant under this section, an entity listed in subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, any such application shall include explanations of—
(1)how a program, or programs, will increase the percentage of women screened and treated, as appropriate, for maternal mental health and substance use disorders in 1 or more communities; and
(2)how a program, or programs, if expanded, would increase access to screening and treatment services for maternal mental health and substance use disorders.
(c)In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall, as appropriate, give priority to entities listed in subsection (a) that—
(1)are proposing to create, improve, or enhance screening, prevention, and treatment services for maternal mental health and substance use disorders in primary care settings;
(2)are currently partnered with, or will partner with, one or more community-based organizations to address maternal mental health and substance use disorders;
(3)are located in, or provide services under this section in, an area with disproportionately high rates of maternal mental health or substance use disorders or other related disparities; and
(4)operate in a health professional shortage area designated under section 254e of this title, including maternity care health professional target areas.
(d)The activities eligible for funding through a grant under subsection (a)—
(1)shall include—
(A)providing appropriate training on maternal mental health and substance use disorder screening, brief intervention, treatment (as applicable for health care providers), and referrals for treatment to health care providers in the primary care setting and, as applicable, relevant health paraprofessionals;
(B)providing information on maternal mental health and substance use disorder screening, brief intervention, treatment (as applicable for health care providers) and referrals for treatment, follow-up support services, and linkages to community-based resources to health care providers in the primary care setting and, as applicable, relevant health paraprofessionals; and
(C)to the extent practicable and appropriate, enabling health care providers (such as obstetrician-gynecologists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, pediatricians, psychiatrists, mental and other behavioral health care providers, and adult primary care clinicians) to provide or receive real-time psychiatric consultation (in-person or remotely), including through the use of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models (as defined in section 254c–20 of this title), to aid in the treatment of pregnant and postpartum women; and
(2)may include—
(A)establishing linkages with and among community-based resources, including mental health resources, primary care resources, and support groups;
(B)utilizing telehealth services, including for rural areas and medically underserved areas (as defined in section 254c–14(a) of this title);
(C)providing assistance to pregnant and postpartum women to receive maternal mental health and substance use disorder treatment, including patient consultation, care coordination, and navigation for such treatment;
(D)coordinating, as appropriate, with maternal and child health programs of State, local, and Tribal governments, including child psychiatric access programs;
(E)conducting public outreach and awareness regarding grants under subsection (a);
(F)creating multistate consortia to carry out the activities required or authorized under this subsection; and
(G)training health care providers in the primary care setting and relevant health paraprofessionals on trauma-informed care, culturally and linguistically appropriate services, and best practices related to training to improve the provision of maternal mental health and substance use disorder care for racial and ethnic minority populations and reduce related disparities in the delivery of such care.
(e)The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to grantees and entities listed in subsection (a) for carrying out activities pursuant to this section.
(f)The Secretary, based on evaluation of the activities funded pursuant to this section, shall identify and disseminate evidence-based or evidence-informed practices for screening, assessment, treatment, and referral to treatment services for maternal mental health and substance use disorders, including culturally and linguistically appropriate services, for women during pregnancy and 12 months following pregnancy.
(g)The Federal share of the cost of the activities for which a grant is made to an entity under subsection (a) shall not exceed 90 percent of the total cost of such activities.
(h)To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $24,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(a)(1), substituted “maternal mental health and substance use disorders” for “maternal depression” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(a)(2), inserted “, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations (as such terms are defined in section 5304 of title 25)” after “States” and substituted “for women who are postpartum, pregnant, or have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for maternal mental health and substance use disorders” for “for women who are pregnant, or who have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for maternal depression”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(b)(1), substituted “an entity listed in subsection (a) shall submit” for “a State shall submit” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(1), (2). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(b)(2), substituted “maternal mental health and substance use disorders” for “maternal depression”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(c), substituted “shall, as appropriate, give priority to entities listed in subsection (a) that—” for “may give priority to States proposing to improve or enhance access to screening”, inserted par. (1) designation and “are proposing to create, improve, or enhance screening, prevention, and treatment” before “services”, substituted “maternal mental health and substance use disorders” for “maternal depression” and added pars. (2) to (4). Subsec. (d)(1)(A). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(d)(1)(A), substituted “on maternal mental health and substance use disorder screening, brief intervention, treatment (as applicable for health care providers), and referrals for treatment to health care providers in the primary care setting and, as applicable, relevant health paraprofessionals;” for “to health care providers; and”. Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(d)(1)(B), substituted “on maternal mental health and substance use disorder screening, brief intervention, treatment (as applicable for health care providers) and referrals for treatment, follow-up support services, and linkages to community-based resources to health care providers in the primary care setting and, as applicable, relevant health paraprofessionals; and” for “to health care providers, including information on maternal depression screening, treatment, and followup support services, and linkages to community-based resources; and”. Subsec. (d)(1)(C). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(d)(1)(C), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (d)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(d)(2)(A), (B), redesignated subpar. (B) as (A) and struck out former subpar. (A) which read as follows: “enabling health care providers (including obstetrician-gynecologists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, mental health care providers, and adult primary care clinicians) to provide or receive real-time psychiatric consultation (in-person or remotely) to aid in the treatment of pregnant and parenting women;”. Subsec. (d)(2)(B). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(d)(2)(B), (D)(i), redesignated subpar. (C) as (B) and inserted “, including” before “for rural areas”. Former subpar. (B) redesignated (A). Subsec. (d)(2)(C) to (G). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(d)(2)(C), (D)(ii), (E), added subpars. (C) to (G). Former subpar. (C) redesignated (B). Subsecs. (e) to (g). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(e)(2), added subsecs. (e) to (g). Former subsec. (e) redesignated (h). Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 117–328, § 1111(e)(1), (f), redesignated subsec. (e) as (h) and substituted “$24,000,000” for “$5,000,000” and “2023 through 2027” for “2018 through 2022”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 247b–13a

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73