Sacramento, California – California has risen to the top of a national maternal mental health ranking, earning the highest score among all states in the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health’s 2026 State Report Cards. The recognition reflects years of policy work aimed at making pregnancy and the months after childbirth safer, more supported and less isolating for families.
The report examined 27 measures across screening and detection, providers and treatment, policy and payment, and parental support. California stood out for requiring Medi-Cal managed care organizations to report prenatal and postpartum depression screening using HEDIS measures, while also performing strongly on those screenings.
The state was additionally recognized for meeting the ratio of community-based organizations offering direct maternal mental health services, extending Medi-Cal coverage through one year postpartum and maintaining a state-sanctioned maternal mental health task force.
“California has led the nation in recognizing that supporting mothers’ mental health is essential to building healthier families and stronger communities,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in the state’s announcement. He said the state wants mothers to feel supported, cared for and connected to the resources they need, both for their own well-being and for their babies’ healthy start.
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The ranking arrives as California continues examining what more must be done. In April 2026, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom joined California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos, the California Perinatal Wellness Alliance and other statewide leaders for a discussion at El Camino Health in Mountain View. The gathering focused on perinatal wellness, which includes care during pregnancy and up to two years after childbirth.
The setting carried its own message. El Camino Health is one of only five perinatal inpatient psychiatric units in the country, highlighting both California’s investment and the nationwide shortage of specialized care. State officials say perinatal mental health concerns affect one in three California women.
“Sometimes the hardest part of becoming a parent is how isolating and overwhelming it can feel,” Siebel Newsom said, adding that California is showing what becomes possible when maternal mental health is treated as an urgent priority.
California’s broader maternal health work has included extending services and addressing disparities. Newsom signed AB 2319 in 2024 to strengthen implicit bias training for health care providers, following earlier approval of SB 65, the California Momnibus Act. The state also launched the Birthing Care Pathway in 2024 to guide care for pregnant and postpartum Medi-Cal members through 12 months after birth.
California has achieved the nation’s lowest maternal mortality rate, according to the governor’s office. Its latest ranking signals progress, but also reinforces the continuing goal: ensuring mothers receive meaningful care before, during and long after childbirth.