Improving Maternal Mental Health Care in the United States

We are the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance: MMHLA

The Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA) was founded in 2019 as a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the mental health of mothers and childbearing people in the United States with a focus on national policy and health equity.

We advocate for improved mental health care during pregnancy and postpartum; we build partnerships and convene experts to formulate solutions; and we curate information to advance the field of maternal mental health.

Learn More about Maternal Mental Health with our Fact Sheet

We will also sign you up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Special Announcement

• Special Announcement •

Visit Our New Perinatal Mental Health Training Database!

Designed to help health care professionals learn more about perinatal mental health.

Search over 160 trainings by topic, profession, duration, continuing education credits, and more.

The database was made possible by support from CVS Health®.

VISIT THE DATABASE

The United States is experiencing a maternal mental health crisis.

Mental health conditions are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting at least 1 in 5 mothers or childbearing people (800,000 families) each year in the United States.

SOURCE 1, SOURCE 2
Suicide and overdose are the leading causes of death in the first year postpartum with over 80% of these deaths deemed preventable.

SOURCE
75% of women experiencing maternal mental health conditions do not get the care needed for recovery.

SOURCE
The cost of not treating maternal mental health conditions is $32,000 per mother-infant pair totaling $14.2 billion nationally.

SOURCE
Left untreated, these illnesses can have long-term negative impacts on parents, babies, families, and society.

SOURCE
Individuals of color and individuals who live in low income neighborhoods are more likely to experience maternal mental health conditions and less likely to be able to access care.

SOURCE