New Maternal Mental Health Funding Opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
New Funding Opportunity to Screen, Assess, Treat, and Refer for Mental Health Conditions in Pregnant and Postpartum People
On Monday, April 3, 2023, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), the FY2023 Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (MMHSUD) program.
The purpose of this grant program is to expand health care providers’ capacity to screen, assess, treat, and refer pregnant and postpartum people for maternal mental health and substance use disorders.
Funding may be used to establish, improve, and/or maintain statewide or regional networks that provide real-time psychiatric consultation, care coordination support services, and culturally and linguistically appropriate training to maternity care providers and clinical practices. This program is also intended to help reduce maternal health inequities.
This program will fund 14 cooperative agreements with states, with each state receiving $750,000 each year from September 2023 through September 2028.
Information on the Funding Opportunity and Application Process
HRSA will host a webinar about this new funding opportunity.
When: Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 2-4 pm EST
HRSA will record the webinar and make it available at HERE.
Click HERE to join the webinar, or dial in:
Call-In Number: 1-833-568-8864
Meeting ID: 160 426 7347
Passcode: 99834191
Due date for applications is June 2, 2023. Learn how to apply here.
Federal Funding for Maternal Mental Health
Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Act of 2022 — legislation which was championed by the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA) — authorizes and funds this new grant program, along with the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
Into the Light authorizes $170 million in funding for maternal mental health programs.
Into the Light calls for a significant investment in federal funding for maternal mental health programs, authorizing $170 million over the next five years: $24 million a year for state grants and $10 million a year for the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Federal funding may not reach these authorized levels this year, but MMHLA is committed to advocating for full funding for both programs. If Into the Light is fully funded, as many as 25 states could receive grants.
Into the Light had broad bipartisan and bicameral support.
We commend and thank Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative Katherine Clarke (D-MA) for introducing Into the Light in the 117th Congress.
Into the Light had broad bipartisan and bicameral support, with additional co-sponsors including Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Young Kim (R-CA), and Doris Matsui (D-CA).
Into the Light passed the first time it was introduced.
While it takes an average of 7 years for a new piece of legislation to become law, Into the Light passed the first time it was introduced in the 117th Congress. Over 10,000 bills were introduced in the 117th Congress; 308 bills became law, including Into the Light, in addition to 9 more bills that address maternal health.
Previous legislation: Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act of 2015.
Into the Light follows the groundbreaking Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act of 2015, which was the first federal legislation to provide funding to address maternal mental health.
Out of the Shadows authorized grants to states to create perinatal psychiatry access programs.
When funding was announced in 2018, 30 states and territories applied, but budget limitations meant only 7 states received grants. Since 2018, MMHLA has led efforts to garner $36.5 million in federal funding for these state programs.
Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs
The 7 states that received funding from Out of the Shadows have implemented perinatal psychiatry access programs.
Perinatal psychiatry access programs are population-based programs that build the capacity of medical professionals to address perinatal mental health and substance use disorders.
These programs provide three main services:
Training and toolkits for frontline providers, such as obstetric, pediatric, and family providers, so they can educate and screen their patients for perinatal mental health conditions and provide treatment as appropriate.
Real-time psychiatric consultation for frontline providers when dealing with more complex cases.
Resources and referrals to community-based support groups, therapists, and other maternal-child health resources.
Learn more about perinatal psychiatry access programs.
Along with the 7 states that receive federal grants, several other states have launched similar programs with private and/or philanthropic funding. In addition, Postpartum Support International provides a national psychiatric consultation line, which is free and available to providers across the country, and the Veterans Health Administration offers a similar consultation program for providers treating our nation’s military veterans.
Staff from all of these programs routinely come together to collaborate, share lessons learned, and improve the quality, impact, and durability of each program.
United States Map Showing Perinatal Psychiatric Access Programs Availability and Gaps
Map courtesy of Lifeline For Moms.
The Model Program: Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms
The model for perinatal psychiatry access programs is the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms, known as MCPAP for Moms, which launched in 2014 to support frontline providers in addressing the mental health of their pregnant and postpartum patients.
Most frontline providers, such as obstetricians and family physicians, have limited training in perinatal mental health and limited access to resources for their patients impacted by perinatal mental health disorders.
MCPAP for Moms provides the following services to frontline providers:
Education and toolkits that provide knowledge about how to address perinatal mental health disorders.
Real-time psychiatric consultation for more complex cases.
Resources and referrals for additional care.
Over 20 states are implementing programs based on the MCPAP for Moms model.
MCPAP for Moms has proven to be an important resource not only for Massachusetts, but for the rest of the country, with over 20 states implementing programs based on the MCPAP for Moms model. The MCPAP for Moms team also coordinates the National Network of Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs, which regularly convenes leaders from all the perinatal psychiatry access programs to share lessons learned, provide support, promote synergy, and share best practices.
Into the Light Authorizes Another Critical Initiative: The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS or 1-833-943-5746)
Into the Light also authorizes and funds the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which was launched on Mother’s Day 2022.
The Hotline provides real-time support to mothers and families impacted by maternal mental health conditions.
The Hotline provides 24/7 voice and text support in English and Spanish, along with 60+ additional languages with interpreter services. In its first nine months of operations, the Hotline handled over 7,500 contacts (70% by phone and 30% by text), with an average response rate of less than 60 seconds.
The Hotline is staffed by experts in maternal mental health, including mental health providers, maternal-child healthcare providers, affiliated providers such as doulas and lactation consultants, and certified peer specialists. The majority of Hotline staff have lived experience with mental health conditions, so they can speak from a position of understanding and empathy. Hotline staff provide support and information, brief intervention, and resources and referrals.
MMHLA advocated for establishing and funding the Hotline.
Initial funding for the Hotline was $3 million in 2021 and increased to $7 million in 2023. Into the Light authorizes funding at $10 million a year, with additional funding for culturally and linguistically appropriate services as well as public awareness about the Hotline.
