S3641-118

2. Preventing perinatal mental health conditions amongst pregnant and postpartum servicewomen and dependents to improve military readiness Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Defense Health Agency, shall establish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and impact of providing evidence-based perinatal mental health prevention programs for eligible members and dependents within military treatment facilities with the goal of reducing the rates of perinatal mental health conditions and improving the military readiness of members of the Armed Forces and their families. In implementing the pilot program, the Secretary shall— integrate evidence-based perinatal mental health prevention programs for eligible members and dependents within existing maternal or pediatric care or programming, including primary care, obstetric care, pediatric care, and family and parenting programs, when applicable; select sites for the pilot program— in a manner that represents the diversity of the Armed Forces, including— not fewer than 2 military treatment facilities for each military department; and geographically diverse sites across the United States, excluding any territory or possession of the United States; and by prioritizing of military treatment facilities with established maternal health programs or women’s clinics; implement the prevention programs at times, locations, and in a manner that incentivizes participation by eligible members and dependents, including by removing barriers to participation, such as childcare availability, differences in military rank and occupation, and any other factors as the Secretary shall determine; and increase awareness of and encourage participation in care and programming for eligible members and dependents. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to assist the Secretary in implementing the pilot program pursuant to subsection (a)(2). Members of the advisory committee shall— be appointed by the Secretary; and include— members of the Armed Forces and dependents, including individuals who— are or have experienced perinatal care in the previous five years while in the Armed Forces; represent various military departments and ranks; and experienced a perinatal mental health condition. individuals with experience at military and veteran service organizations; experts in perinatal mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention; and representatives from the Federal Maternal Mental Health Hotline and related perinatal mental health programs. In implementing the pilot program pursuant to subsection (a)(2), the advisory committee shall provide recommendations to the Secretary with respect to the following: Identification of evidence-based perinatal prevention programs. Strategies to increase diversity in participation of eligible members and dependents. Outreach to eligible members and dependents on the benefits of prevention and the availability of pilot program participation. Strategies to reduce stigma with respect to perinatal mental health conditions and the use of prevention programs. Section 1013 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the advisory committee. The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to military treatment facilities in implementing evidence-based perinatal prevention programs pursuant to subsection (a) and outside of the pilot program. Not later than June 30, 2029, the Secretary shall conduct a study of the effectiveness of the pilot program in preventing or reducing the onset of symptoms of perinatal mental health conditions for eligible and dependents. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the progress of the pilot program during the previous calendar year, including the number of eligible members and dependents completing a prevention program, disaggregated by type of prevention program, military component, military occupation, rank, marital status, location and setting of delivery, sex, age, race, and ethnicity. Not later than 90 days after the termination of the pilot program under subsection (g), the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a final report, which shall include— the progress of the pilot program during the life of the pilot program; the number of eligible members and dependents who completed a prevention program during the life of the pilot program, disaggregated by type of prevention program, military component, military occupation, rank, marital status, location and setting of delivery, sex, age, race, and ethnicity; an assessment and findings with respect to the study required by subsection (e); recommendations on whether the pilot program should be continued or more widely adopted by the Department of Defense; and recommendations on how to scale the pilot program and ensure cost-effective sustainability. The final report shall be made publicly available on a website of the Department of Defense. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. The pilot program shall terminate on December 31, 2029.