Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is asking lawmakers for $2 million to expand voluntary nurse visits to every family with a newborn, while directing state health officials to broaden perinatal mental-health screening rules. The proposal, announced by the governor on September 15, would move an existing federally supported home-visiting program toward statewide availability.
The money would support the Welcome Family program, which now reaches about 3,000 families a year. Massachusetts has roughly 68,000 births annually, meaning the appropriation is a first step rather than enough funding by itself to serve every household. Participation would remain optional. During a visit, a nurse can answer questions about feeding, sleep and infant care, assess the birthing parent’s recovery and screen for depression or other mental-health concerns, according to the Associated Press’s account of the plan.
Healey also proposed $250,000 for the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms. The program gives obstetricians, pediatricians, primary-care clinicians and other providers real-time access to psychiatric consultation and referral help. Its provider guidance says clinicians can call on weekdays to speak with a resource-and-referral specialist and, when needed, a perinatal psychiatrist.
The regulatory component could have the broadest immediate reach. Healey directed the Department of Public Health to update state screening regulations so clinicians look for a wider range of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and after delivery, not only postpartum depression. The department’s current clinical resource page points providers to validated screening tools and MCPAP for Moms consultation, while its PMAD initiative offers free consultation and referral resources statewide.
The case for earlier and longer follow-up comes from the state’s own mortality review. Massachusetts’ Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee found that mental illness, including substance-use disorder, was the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death from 2019 through 2024, accounting for 38% of deaths. The committee judged 85% preventable, and more than half occurred between seven days and one year after delivery, according to the figures summarized in the state announcement and AP report.
The proposal builds on Chapter 186 of the Acts of 2024, the state’s maternal-health law. It established professional-midwife licensing, broadened paths for freestanding birth centers and required coverage for postpartum-depression screening. It also created a statutory framework for universal postpartum home visiting, but programs created in law still depend on appropriations and implementation. The new request needs legislative approval through the state budget process; the governor’s announcement does not itself release the money or guarantee immediate statewide capacity. Families therefore should not assume universal visits are available yet.
For residents seeking help now, the Department of Public Health maintains a statewide directory of perinatal mental-health resources, including support groups and crisis contacts. People experiencing an immediate mental-health crisis can call or text 988.
