Senate Resolution No. by Senator McMath designates May 1, 2024, as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Day in Louisiana. This resolution highlights the significant issue of maternal mental health, noting that one in eight women experience postpartum depression, which is a leading cause of maternal mortality, accounting for approximately 20% of postpartum deaths. The resolution emphasizes the preventability of these deaths and the negative impacts on families and the state, particularly as Louisiana ranks 46th in maternal mortality rates.

Additionally, the resolution acknowledges the alarming statistic that around 75% of women with maternal mental health conditions remain undiagnosed and untreated. It also points out the upcoming opening of a perinatal mental health unit at Woman's Hospital in September 2024, which will be one of only four such units in the United States and the only one in Louisiana. This unit aims to provide essential mental health services to women during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. The resolution expresses recognition of Woman's Hospital's commitment to addressing these critical health needs and calls for a copy of the resolution to be sent to the hospital's chief executive officer.