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 that many of these deaths are preventable and that a substantial percentage of women with maternal mental health conditions remain undiagnosed and untreated. Louisiana ranks poorly in maternal mortality, consistently placing among the top five states for such fatalities.

The resolution also acknowledges the upcoming opening of a perinatal mental health unit at Woman's Hospital in September 2024, which will be one of only four 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 gratitude for Woman's Hospital's commitment to improving maternal mental health services in the state and calls for a copy of the resolution to be sent to the hospital's chief executive officer.