Perinatal Mental Health Education and Screening Project
MMHLA is leading a multi-year, multi-disciplinary collaborative effort to ensure all pregnant and postpartum people are educated about and screened for perinatal mental health disorders and connected with resources for recovery.
For more information about the Screening Project, contact Aminat Balogun at abalogun@mmhla.org.
Education and screening can save lives, but they are not done consistently.
Although perinatal mental health (PMH) disorders are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, impacting at least 1 in 5 pregnant or postpartum people (800,000 families each year in the United States), patient education and screening remains elusive.
Numerous national medical organizations and governing bodies have made recommendations for PMH screening, and some states and health systems require screening for PMH disorders.
However, there is no current standard for how, when, or by whom PMH patient education and screening should be provided to pregnant and postpartum patients, leading to wide disparities and inequities in screening and treatment.
Standardization and consistency would lead to better health outcomes.
Improving both the standardization and consistent implementation of PMH patient education and screening can help ensure the prevention or timely detection and treatment of PMH disorders. Detection and prevention translate into better health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people, their infants, partners, and families.
To address this, we launched The Perinatal Mental Health Education and Screening Project.
In late 2021, we launched The Screening Project — a multi-year, multidisciplinary effort to ensure that all pregnant and postpartum people are educated about and screened for perinatal mental health (PMH) disorders and connected with resources for recovery.
The Screening Project was laid out into two phases.
2021-2022
In Phase I of the project, we developed a Screening Framework.
Phase I focused on developing a framework for WHEN to provide patient education and screening. We convened roundtable discussions with maternal mental health experts and advocates to ensure the voices of those with lived experience are centered in our research and recommendations.
2023-present
In Phase II, we are addressing four barriers to screening.
1 • EDUCATION
Ensuring frontline providers are educated about PMH disorders, including how to screen and connect those impacted with resources for recovery.
3 • RESOURCES
Identifying additional resources needed for those impacted by PMH disorders.
2 • REIMBURSEMENT
Ensuring frontline providers are adequately and easily reimbursed for providing consultation, education, and screening for PMH disorders.
4 • SCREENING TOOLS
Exploring opportunities to update and streamline screening tools.
Phase I Report & Webinar
On January 25, 2023, MMHLA and the March of Dimes hosted a webinar to share information about the Project and the Framework for screening.
Phase II Progress Reports
For a summary of our progress to date, click here.
For in-depth information on Phase II and our insurance reimbursement analysis, check out the reports below.
