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

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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 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

Learn More about Maternal Mental Health Conditions

How We are Working to Solve this Crisis

 

 Advocating for Change

We advocate for national policies that improve maternal mental health and advance health equity.

Learn about our policy work.

Building Partnerships

We convene experts from across sectors to identify issues and formulate solutions to improve maternal mental health.

Learn about our programs and initiatives.

Curating Information

We provide expert information and resources about organizations, programs, and policies that address maternal mental health.

Access our library of resources.

Help mothers and birthing people get the support they deserve.

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