By Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS

On December 8th, the House of Representatives passed 15 health-related bills, including two bills that 2020 Mom has supported: the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R. 5487) and the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 1667).

The SHINE for Autumn Act, led by Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), would:

Provide grants to States for data collection on stillbirths;
Develop guidelines for state departments of health and vital statistics units on stillbirth data collection and data sharing;
Support states in the development of educational materials on stillbirth;
Establish a fellowship program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focused on stillbirth research; and
Require the Office of the Surgeon General to publish a report with educational guidelines on stillbirth and stillbirth risk factors.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, led by Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), would:

Require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to disseminate best practices to prevent suicide and improve mental health among health care providers;
Create a national awareness campaign to encourage health care providers to seek mental health and addiction support; and
Develop a grant for hospitals, community health centers, rural health clinics, and medical professional associations to establish programs that support providers’ mental health.

The House passed several other bills on December 8th that have either a direct impact on mental health and substance use, or have an indirect impact on mental health through a focus on social determinants of health. These bills include:

Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act (H.R. 2364), led by Reps. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Chris Pappas (D-NH): This bill would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement a public education campaign related to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.
Opioid Prescription Verification Act (H.R. 2355), led by Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Ann Wagner (R-MO): This bill would require federal agencies to develop and disseminate training materials for pharmacists on verifying the identity of the patient receiving a controlled substance prescription.
Collecting and Analyzing Resources Integral and Necessary for Guidance (CARING) for Social Determinants Act (H.R. 3894), led by Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL): This bill would require the Secretary of HHS to provide guidance and technical assistance to States on how to address social determinants of health through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act (H.R. 4026), led by Reps. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE): This bill would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress on actions taken by the Secretary of HHS to address social determinants of health.

Now that these bills have passed the House, they must be considered and passed by the Senate in order to be signed into law. 2020 Mom will continue to track and report on federal legislation impacting maternal mental health and substance use disorders.