Following the Lindsay Clancy trial, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has proposed significant new measures to support struggling parents and enhance postpartum care, including free nurse home visits for all newborns and updated mental health screening regulations for new mothers.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has announced a new push to support struggling parents and improve postpartum care, directly sparked by renewed concerns following the Lindsay Clancy trial. Clancy's attorneys argued she suffered from unresolved postpartum psychosis when she killed her three children in 2023, leading to a mistrial when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. Governor Healey emphasized the need for better support for new parents, stating, 'To every mom who has struggled with her mental health before, during or after pregnancy, I want you to know we see you — I see you.' Her proposals include a $2 million investment to provide free home visits by nurses to all parents with newborns (approximately 68,000 families annually), a significant expansion from the current 3,000 families served by a federally funded program. These nurses would offer guidance on infant care, monitor maternal health, and screen for mental health concerns. Additionally, Healey proposed a $250,000 investment in the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms and directed the Department of Public Health to update regulations governing perinatal mental health screenings during and after pregnancy. The initiative addresses critical gaps in maternal care; despite Massachusetts being a leader in healthcare access, mental illness (including substance use disorder) was the leading underlying cause of death for pregnant women and new mothers in the state from 2019-2024, accounting for 38% of deaths, with 85% deemed preventable.
