Government Agency Policy Fellows Program
The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health invites state Medicaid, behavioral/mental health, and public health department leaders to join our next cohort of the Government Agency Maternal Mental Health Policy Fellows program through a competitive application process.
The program aims to assist state Medicaid, behavioral/mental health, and public health departments in closing gaps in maternal mental health.
The program is open to leaders in state Medicaid departments, state behavioral/mental health departments, and state departments of public health.
Each organization must have two Fellows (ideally from the same agency) participating in the program. Both applicants should individually complete the application, naming their co-applicant where directed. A letter of support from Department leadership is required for each applicant.
Applications for the 2024-2025 Cohort are now open.
We will be prioritizing applications from the following states who have not yet been through our program:
AK, AZ, AR, CT, GA, HI, ID, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NE, NV, NJ, OH, OK, OR, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, VT, WV, WI
Applications will be accepted through May 24, 2024.
Applicants will be notified of their application status the week of June 3rd.
The 2024-2025 cohort will begin in July 2024.
This program is made possible through a grant from:
What our Government Agency Fellows Learn:
Federal "State of the State" in Maternal Mental Health
Federal Agency Programs Addressing Maternal Mental Health
Review of State-Level Data, including:
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitory System survey results, Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) reports on Maternal Suicide and more
Strategies for supporting state Perinatal Quality Collaboratives in Implementing Actions to Reduce Maternal Suicide
The Zero Suicide Framework
Public Awareness Campaigns
State Public Health Best Practices: States that are leading the way shine and Highlights from the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Program Winners
Addressing Racial & Rural Disparities
At the conclusion of the 12 Month Program
At the end of the program, Fellows will have developed an action plan presented to their peers and leadership. Fellows will continue to receive support through the group listserv.
Time Commitment
Participants are expected to attend 90-minute-long monthly meetings and spend roughly 1-2 hours outside of monthly meetings reviewing materials, engaging in the online community, meeting with others they identify as important in their state/county, and developing their action plan.
Meet our 2023-2024 Government Agency Policy Fellows
ALABAMA – Alabama Department of Mental Health
Elana Parker Merriweather, Ed.S., LPC, NCC, AADC, BC-TMH, currently serves as the Adolescent & Adult Substance Use (SU) Program Manager for the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Her responsibilities include compliance monitoring for adolescent & adult treatment services, case management for SU treatment providers, coordinating professional development trainings & facilitating partnerships with community agencies. Elana previously served as the Director of Behavioral Health for Medical Advocacy & Outreach where she implemented behavioral health services for Ryan White clients in 36 counties. Elana worked at the AL Department of Public Health for 15 years serving as Health Services Administrator for the Offices of Minority & Women's Health & Center for Emergency Preparedness and for 2 years with the AL Department of Corrections as Reentry Coordinator. Elana’s passion is to serve people living with chronic health conditions & infectious diseases, substance misuse & mental illness, offenders & people with disabilities. Elana has an Ed.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from AL State University, an M.Ed. in Community Agency Counseling & BBA in Marketing from the University of Montevallo.
Brooke Whitfield, MA, LPC, NCC, is the Women’s Services Coordinator for the Alabama Department of Mental Health. She has worked as a Mental Health Specialist for the Alabama Department of Mental Health for over six years in both subdivisions of mental illness and substance abuse treatment services. Brooke has over fifteen years of experience in the field of behavioral health, working with individuals with substance use disorders, serious mental health conditions, developmental disabilities, and co-occurring disorders. She has provided direct service to various age groups in different community settings, including residential treatment settings, outpatient treatment settings, institutional settings, and in-home settings. She has provided group counseling, individual counseling, family counseling, crisis counseling, case management services, and assessment services throughout her career. Brooke also served as the expert witness for probate court within the probate court systems for multiple years providing testimony about mental health conditions and symptoms. Brooke obtained her Master’s of Arts Degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2015 in community mental health counseling. She is a licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama, and she is a nationally certified counselor through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
NEW YORK – NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports - Bureau of Adolescent, Women, and Family Services
Katie Seaward, MSW (she/her/hers), is an Addictions Program Specialist in the Bureau of Adolescent, Women, and Family Services at the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). In her role, she works collaboratively across systems to develop policies, guidance, and programming that support the overall health and wellbeing of women, pregnant persons, and parenting persons who use drugs; this includes working on the implementation of Plans of Safe Care and participating in the New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative. She also assists in overseeing the agency’s women’s services portfolio, providing technical assistance and guidance to OASAS-certified treatment programs on best practices for working with this population. Currently, she is actively involved in Project COPE, an overdose prevention initiative focused on reducing fatal overdose among pregnant and parenting persons, survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence, the LGBTQ+ community, and tribal communities through providing harm reduction education and resources to non-SUD treatment providers such as domestic violence shelters, home visitors, and healthcare providers.
Jessica Sorbello, LCSW (she/her/hers), is the project director for a federally funded overdose prevention grant, Community Overdose Prevention Education (Project COPE). The grant is managed by the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (NYS OASAS). Jessica has established connections with community agencies to increase access to overdose prevention resources and empower providers to incorporate overdose prevention education as part of a universal assessment. Prior to overseeing Project COPE, Jessica has provided clinical, case management, and crisis-based services within the substance use treatment field since 2009. She has worked in multiple levels of care, most recently managing a women’s community residence. Jessica provides therapy through her private practice, and is an adjunct professor with the College of St. Rose, from which she graduated with her Bachelor’s in social work in 2009, and continued on to receive her Master’s in Social Work from SUNY Albany in 2010. Throughout her career, Jessica has challenged any pre-existing policies that focused on punitive interventions and she has been a fierce advocate for clients, continuously believing that harm reduction is imperative to a client’s success. Her work focuses on bridging community gaps and developing creative ways to provide holistic care.
UTAH – Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Leah Colburn, CMHC, is with the Utah Department of Human and Human Services-Office of Substance Use and Mental Health. As the Administrator of Children, Youth and Family Programs, she oversees mental health strategies for children and youth. Leah has previously worked in community mental health, providing a continuum of behavioral health supports and services to at-risk and underserved youth and families in Utah. While working in community mental health, Leah supervised school-based mental health programs, intensive wraparound in-home programs, and crisis intervention. Leah is a strong advocate for collaboration within the community to support system alignment and coordination to ensure the best outcomes for children, youth and families.
Jade Hill, MPH, works as the Maternal Mental Health Program Specialist with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Maternal and Child Health, where she is focused on maternal mental health initiatives throughout Utah. Jade received a Master of Public Health degree from University of New England and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree. She has worked in the field of maternal and child health in multiple settings, including clinical, research, policy, and state government. Jade has spent most of her career focused on addressing public health barriers. Jade has a passion for addressing health disparities and gaps in current maternal mental health efforts.