Role with PSI:

I have served on the board of directors since September 2006 and am currently serving as Executive Vice President of PSI.

Current Projects:

One goal is to garner support for the passage of critical federal legislation, namely The MOTHERS Act (S. 3529), Companion bill to H.R. 1940, The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Research and Care Act, which provides screening, referrals and treatment for postpartum depression and related mood disorders that occur both during pregnancy and after birth. New Jersey has taken the exciting lead by being the first (and not the last!) state to pass legislation requiring doctors to educate expectant mothers and their families about postpartum depression and to screen new moms for postpartum mood disorders. Momentum is building, finally!

In 2006, California’s Legislature signed a postpartum awareness bill that the Governor vetoed, unfortunately. Following the veto, I created the Los Angeles County Perinatal Mental Health Task Force, in order to create an infrastructure to address perinatal mood disorders. I represent PSI in this effort, and we have growing participation from a variety of public and private entities, all of whom address infant and maternal health. Our goals are to raise awareness of perinatal mood disorders, to ensure that perinatal mood disorder screenings take place throughout the county, to provide trainings to all levels of service providers who may interact with pregnant women and new mothers and their families, and finally to encourage the development of in house expertise in the area of perinatal mood disorders and to increase access to support groups. We will emphasize issues of cultural competency and poverty, and how they each pose barriers to access. As a survivor of severe postpartum depression, I know first hand that cultural barriers that stigmatize mental illness must continue to be addressed. Having served as a PSI phone support volunteer for over three years, I strongly recognize the needs of indigent women and their families, many of whom are either not insured at all or receive very limited medical coverage.

Bio:

Kimberly Wong has been an attorney with the Los Angeles County Public Defender‘s Office for 13 years, and she currently serves as Legislative/Criminal Justice Policy Advisor to the Public Defender. Graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, at Irvine, Ms. Wong received a bachelor of arts degree in Social Ecology, with emphases in criminal justice and legal studies; and psychology and human behavior. Ms. Wong received her law degree from Loyola Law School in 1992.

Some of Ms. Wong’s professional work has focused on incarcerated domestic violence survivors. She assisted in the drafting and testified on behalf of SB 1385 (2003-2004) (Burton), the Battering and Its Effects Bill, which became effective January 1, 2005 in California and amended California Penal Code section 1473.5 to expand access to justice for incarcerated battered women where consideration of their battering experience was not considered at the time of their original conviction. With Ms. Wong as its representative, the Public Defender is a collaborating partner of the statewide California Habeas Project Advisory Group, along with the California Women Law Center, USC Post-Conviction Relief Center, and in Northern California, Free Battered Women and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. Ms. Wong also helped create the Women’s Re-entry Court, which allows eligible and suitable women parolees who are charged with a subsequent felony case to receive individualized treatment in a gender responsive residential treatment facility instead of returning to prison. Ms. Wong is also the co-chair of the Legislative Issues Committee of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council, and chairs the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee for Survivor Defendants. She is developing a pilot project that connects women charged with crimes who are themselves survivors of domestic violence (and their children), into wraparound services including substance abuse treatment, mental health services and safe, confidential shelter. She received the 2006 Woman of the Year award from the Los Angeles County Commission for Women in the category of law/public safety.

Ms. Wong is married, with one precious four-year-old daughter.