Closing Gaps in Maternal Mental Healthcare
The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health is a national think tank, nonprofit organization advancing policies that support a health care system that routinely detects and treats maternal mental health disorders for every mother, every time.
This week Congress passed the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021” (aka the COVID Relieve package) a 5000+ page bill. Last year 2020 Mom pushed to secure funding for the Health and Human Services Administration (HHS) to produce a Federal Interagency Report to Congress noting what each agency is doing to address maternal mental health, and what gaps might exist in coordination, resources, etc.
Read MoreI’m writing this post, 8 years to the day of when I convened our first call with stakeholders (learn more about why this first call was held, and why I raised my hand to lead it, on the video at the top of our About 2020 Mom page.)
I heard over and over again that providers needed more training, and universal screening was a must. This made sense, though what I wanted to understand was why women weren’t already being screened, diagnosed and treated.
I began my quest for knowledge. I combed through research (which was difficult to consolidate, and often contradictory) and struggled to find answers.
Read MoreWe’ve had a few surreal moments in maternal mental health this fall, this one is definitely a moment that the maternal mental health community should be jumping up and down about.
In September the federal government’s Health and Human Services Agency (HRSA) announced it has awarded 4.5 million in grants to seven lucky states to address maternal mental health over five years (2018-2023).
Following last year’s successful inaugural National Lobby Day that culminated in the important maternal mental health legislation, Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act, getting passed by the House and Senate, NCMMH planned for another phenomenal year advocating for maternal mental health care in the Nation’s Capital this past May.
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