MMHLA is Addressing Maternal Mental Health Disparities in the Military
Military mothers are 2-3 times more likely to experience maternal mental health conditions than civilian mothers, according to the Government Accountability Office May 2022 Report.
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.
Learn what we’re doing to address these disparities.
Advocating for Policy Change
We are advocating for The Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve Act (The MOMS Act) — proposed legislation that would help prevent maternal mental health conditions among military mothers.
Raising Awareness
We are raising awareness about this issue as well as uplifting current efforts to address it.
Our work highlights the issue, shares progress updates on the bill, motivates action, and uplifts those with lived experience.
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Educating Members of Congress and their Staff
We organized a virtual Advocacy Day, helping over 120 advocates from across the country meet with 118 Congressional offices.
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Educating Health Care Professionals
We produced a webinar and a fact sheet geared towards health care professionals.
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Educating the Public
We publish articles, newsletters, and social media content.
Learn More about Military, Veteran Women and Maternal Mental Health with our Fact Sheet
Convening Experts & Building Partnerships
We organized an in-person roundtable with over 60 experts and stakeholders to discuss this issue.
We discussed the impact of maternal mental health in the military, led a discussion about existing efforts and programs that support military mothers’ mental health, and identified key opportunities for participants to work together to improve or expand their efforts.
Our next step is to obtain specific commitments from participants on actions they can take to support the mental health and well-being of our nation’s military mothers — both active duty service members and spouses.
Uplifting those with Lived Experience
We have incredible advocates with lived experience partnering with us on this work.
Patience Riley, LPC | Mother, Air Force Spouse, Therapist
"My most difficult years as a military spouse were 2019-2021. I moved three times in one and a half years with a new baby, solo parented, navigated the pandemic, and shortly after having my second son, my husband deployed again — leaving me with a 3-month-old and a toddler. My mental health took a direct hit. How could it not?”
Tiara Flynn | Mother, Air Force Veteran, and Full Spectrum Doula
“I am excited to see The MOMS Act officially introduced in the House and Senate. I had to make the difficult choice between my military career and motherhood, so I understand the silent struggles military moms face. There’s a delicate balance between the demands of a military uniform and the emotional weight of motherhood that is often overlooked and unsupported. I’m glad that we have a bill that could provide more support to military moms.”
Lakeatta Tonge, MSN, BSN, RNC-MNN | Mother, Air Force Veteran, Maternal-Newborn Nurse
“Every human being was born of a brave woman that sacrificed her life to give life. The least we can do is give these women an equal chance to live beyond childbirth.”
Learn more about maternal mental health in the military.
Reports
Government Accountability Office: Prevalence of and Efforts to Screen and Treat Mental Health Conditions in Prenatal and Postpartum TRICARE Beneficiaries LINK
HealthyWomen: Women’s Health is a Readiness Issue LINK
Military Family Advisory Network Survey Re: Mental Health Care and Telehealth LINK
Military, Veteran Women, and Maternal Mental Health Fact Sheet LINK
Normalizing Military Mental Health Care: Myth vs. Fact LINK
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