Want to help women suffering from postpartum depression?

The state of Oklahoma is woefully under-represented in the list of individuals supporting passage of the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, federal legislation already passed by the U.S. House and awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate to fund increased research into the causes of postpartum depression and provide for increased services for women who need help. In fact, it is Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn who is the greatest opposition to this bill being passed. We need Oklahomans to speak out on behalf of maternal mental health.

I’m sure there must be professionals and consumers in Oklahoma who care deeply about serving new mothers with postpartum depression and related illnesses – doctors, therapists, friends, family, social workers, survivors, advocates and organization members. We truly need your help in adding as many names to the list as possible, because there seems to be major apathy in getting people to speak out, while at the same time the opposition to the MOTHERS Act is contacting the U.S. Senate in droves. Susan Stone, past president of Postpartum Support International, is maintaining the list of supporters on her website at www.perinatalpro.com.

For your reference, this bill is already endorsed nationally by the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the Children’s Defense Fund, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Organization for Women, Postpartum Support International and the Suicide Prevention Action Network, among many others.

Anyone at all interested in being listed needs to email me ASAP with their name and state (and any credentials should they have them – MD, LCSW, etc.). We are also seeking the endorsement of entire organizations in addition to the list of individual supporters. Please note that participants will not be put on any mailing list. The list will be delivered to the Senate.

The text of the MOTHERS Act bill can be found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.324. Oklahoma’s current listing of supporters can be found here: http://www.perinatalpro.com/ppdlegislation/statesnp.html

I would truly appreciate your help in this matter by contacting all of those who care in your state and asking them to take action. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at stonecallis@msn.com

Katherine Stone

stonecallis@msn.com

Founder and Author, Postpartum Progress (http://postpartumprogress.typepad.com)

Board member & PR Chair, Postpartum Support International (http://www.postpartum.net)

WebMD 2008 Health Hero http://www.webmd.com/healthheroes/default.htm