Perigee Fund Shares Report on Maternal Mental Health
Perigee Fund – a leading philanthropic organization focused on infant and maternal mental health – published a report in December 2022 entitled Maternal Mental Health: An Urgent Priority. The report includes thirty opportunities to improve maternal mental health and promote equity. Download the full report HERE.
According to the report, “Every pregnancy and birth creates two windows of opportunity to improve outcomes: one for the mom and one for the child. Unlike with many other issues, interventions that improve maternal mental health outcomes pay dividends across two or more generations.”
In addition, the authors write that “Much of what the health care system terms ‘maternal mental health disorders’ is less about what happens inside a mom’s brain and more about what happens in the world around her,” listing issues such as racial bias, interpersonal violence, and the denial of basic needs like health care, nutritious food, and child care that add to the struggles facing new parents.
After describing maternal mental health disorders – along with the many factors that contribute or exacerbate these conditions — the report provides opportunities for action that align with the following strategies:
Maximizing the impact of health care interventions.
Broadening the response to address the full range of well-being obstacles.
Building new community-centered maternal mental health support systems.
Centering women of color and other historically marginalized people.
Expanding advocacy to influence and accelerate policy change.
MMHLA will be working with others in the maternal mental health field to take action on these strategies. MMHLA is generously funded by the Perigee Fund.
