MMHLA Hosts Reception on Capitol Hill About Military and Veteran Maternal Mental Health
On May 23, 2024, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA) hosted a Sip & Celebrate Reception on Capitol Hill in coordination with the Maternity Care Caucus to raise awareness about maternal mental health conditions among military and Veteran women and to highlight the policy work and initiatives to address this issue.
Maternal mental health conditions are even more prevalent among military moms than among their civilian counterparts. A 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office showed that military moms experience maternal mental health conditions at 2-3 times the rate of their civilian counterparts, underscoring the stark health disparity our service members face when pregnant or postpartum.
Black and Asian/Pacific Islander women service members face additional challenges, with research showing higher rates of severe maternal morbidity. Black women service members are especially impacted, with significantly higher rates of complications and death compared to their White counterparts.
Along with MMHLA Executive Director Adrienne Griffen, speakers included:
Julie Stewart from the Government Accountability Office who spoke about the GAO’s report showing the high rates of maternal mental health conditions among our nation’s military mothers.
Lakeatta Tonge from the New Parent Support Program who spoke about her work supporting new parents at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.
Jamie Belsito, MMHLA Founder and Director of Policy and Partnerships, who spoke about The Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve Act (The MOMS Act) and The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
A special thanks to our sponsors, Sage Therapeutics® and Philips, whose generous support made this event possible.
Adrienne Griffen, MPP | U.S. Navy Veteran; Executive Director, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
Lakeatta Tonge, MSN, RNC-MNN | U.S. Air Force Veteran; New Parent Support Program Coordinator, U.S. Air Force
Julie Stewart, MPA | Senior Analyst of Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Left to right: Allison Miessler, MSW, MMHLA Research Associate; Lakeatta Tonge, MSN, RNC-MNN, U.S. Air Force Veteran and U.S. Air Force New Parent Support Program Coordinator; (Back) Jamie Belsito, MMHLA Founder and Director of Policy & Partnerships; (Front) Mara Child, MPA, MPH, MMHLA Director of Operations & Strategy; (Back) Adrienne Griffen, MPP, MMHLA Executive Director; Aminat Balogun, MPH, MMHLA Project Manager.
Left to right: Adrienne Griffen, MPP, MMHLA Executive Director; Dr. Michael Warren, Associate Administrator of The Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration; Jamie Belsito, MMHLA Founder and Director of Policy & Partnerships.
