Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is seeking to expand a program that sends nurses to the homes of postpartum families, with the goal of making visits available to every family welcoming a newborn in the state. The proposal comes after the closely watched trial of Lindsay Clancy.
Clancy, 36, admitted to fatally strangling her three children with exercise bands. In court, however, she argued that she had been overmedicated while experiencing postpartum depression and that the combination of prescription drugs triggered psychosis.
Eleven of the 12 jurors found the insanity defense persuasive enough to support a verdict of not guilty of murder or manslaughter by reason of insanity. One juror would not agree to acquit Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, leading Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial.
Healey now wants to offer free nurse home visits to all Massachusetts families with newborns while also updating regulations for mental health screenings during the postpartum period.
“For new mothers, [parenthood] can be exhausting, isolating and overwhelming. There are physiological and hormonal changes that just leave you a different person after birth,” the governor said at a news conference Tuesday, according to the Boston Globe.
“There’s been a lot of talk lately, of course, in our state and around this country about postpartum issues and care. And we need to talk more openly about this.”
Healey said postpartum depression and the challenges of early parenthood are “nothing new,” but added that the Clancy trial had prompted “a renewed discussion and focus” on the issue.
“That case and that trial has certainly continued the conversation and raised the conversation nationally, internationally, to a new level.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wants to expand nurse home visits for postpartum families across the state
The proposal follows the high-profile trial of Lindsay Clancy
Under Healey’s plan, Massachusetts would direct $2 million toward a program designed to offer home visits to families welcoming approximately 68,000 newborns each year.
Participation would be voluntary. Families who enroll could receive a visit from a nurse who answers questions about feeding, sleep and newborn care. The nurse would also check the mother’s postpartum health and screen for depression and other mental health concerns.
Healey said the investment would mark the state’s first financial contribution to a federally funded program that currently provides nurse visits to about 3,000 families annually.
The governor also proposed spending $250,000 on the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms. The funding would support statewide tracking of postpartum psychosis, establish a clinical education team for mental health providers and expand guidance for families and clinicians on recognizing early warning signs and knowing when to seek help.
Healey additionally ordered the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to expand screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. The effort is intended to help health care providers identify problems sooner and connect families with appropriate care.
Healey’s administration said the initiatives build on previous efforts to improve maternal health, including expanding MassHealth postpartum coverage to 12 months, expanding access to doula services and strengthening postpartum mental health screening requirements.
Clancy has not denied that she killed her three children, but argued she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity as she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time
Cora, five; Dawson, three; and Callan, eight months, were found strangled to death at their home in Duxbury, Massachusetts on January 24, 2023
One in eight women develop postpartum depression, which involves persistent sadness and fatigue, according to a 2024 study by BMC Public Health.
Roughly the same percentage of mothers develop postpartum anxiety, which includes overwhelming feelings of fear, difficulty concentrating or relaxing and compulsive rituals.
Postpartum psychosis is much more rare, affecting just one to two out of every 1,000 birth mothers.
About four percent of women with the most severe type of postpartum psychosis are estimated to kill their children, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
About five percent also take their own lives.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
