Monthly Edition {View Online}

August 2024

TOP STORIES

Maternal Mental Health Hotline Marks Two Years With White House Convening

Reflecting on two successful years of the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, counselors from the hotline joined Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President Kristine Lucius and Heath Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson for a convening at the White House on July 26.

Counselors shared that the top three reasons callers contact the Hotline are feeling overwhelmed, depression, and anxiety. The counselors also spoke about providing a safe space for callers, greeting callers with compassion and respect, and reinforcing that “it’s okay to not be okay.” One participant added that the Hotline is “more than a hotline; it’s a lifeline.” Read more about the event here.

Mind the Gap is proud to support the National Maternal Health Hotline.

Progress Report on Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis

The Biden-Harris Administration recently shared its progress on improving maternal health for women across the country since the release of the Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis in 2022. Some key accomplishments related to perinatal mental health include:

• Postpartum Medicaid extension from 2 to 12 months.
• Launch of the 24/7, confidential National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. 
• Training on mental health and substance use disorders for providers.

New $15 Million Federal Grant Program Seeks to Improve Access to Mental Health Care for New Parents

With birthing people at a heightened risk of developing mental health or substance use disorders, the federal government wants to invest in evidence-based, timely and culturally relevant intervention and treatment services to improve health care for new parents amid the maternal health crisis. Read more here.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY

House FY25 Appropriations Bill Includes Cuts to Maternal Health Priorities

The House Appropriations Committee passed an Appropriations Bill on July 10 with significant impact to maternal mental health priorities.

• Learn more about the impacts of the bill here and here.
• As the Senate begins to draft its bill, make your voice heard through direct outreach to legislators.
• Read an example outreach from the Safe States Alliance.
• See the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's one-pager here.

Stillbirth Prevention Act Signed Into Law

President Biden has signed the groundbreaking legislation on July 12. The bill expands the use of existing federal money to be used to fight stillbirths. Read more here.

MIND THE GAP:

State Policy Series Updates

The Mind the Gap PACE State Policy Series teams are wrapping up their first meetings with their “Big Tent” partners, the larger group of community and governmental organizations who will collaborate to move policy goals forward. Mandolin Restivo, the executive director of Postpartum Support Virginia and a leader in Virginia's Mind the Gap State Policy Series, said bringing this bigger community team together is a critical step to increase trust and cooperation among partners and developing and implementing policy to improve maternal mental health.  

“The series gives us a launch pad to mobilize our partners and create solid policy around maternal mental health in Virginia,” She said. "We want to solidify PSVa as the Statewide go-to experts in Perinatal Mental Health.”

Restivo commented on how the design of the State Policy Series builds skills and provides technical assistance, and boosted her team's confidence to take action to successfully launch a policy campaign.

“Beginning with reflecting on our successes was hugely helpful, as it is easy in this work to focus on how far you need to go to make change without acknowledging the work already completed," she said. "The ready-made, customizable presentations are excellent, and the series helps identify new partners to purposefully bring into the conversation in constructive ways that helps build consensus and solid momentum.” 

Restivo shared some key lessons already learned: Having a clear goal, the right people at the table, and good collaborative action moves things forward. And wins beget wins, leading to more opportunities for change—you can keep using the same process to move new goals forward in the future.

If you have partners in these states who may want to get involved, or for more information on the State Policy Series that uses the PACE process, please reach out to ahammond@reillygroupinc.com. 

MIND THE GAP State Coalition Updates

Massachusetts Advances Transformational Maternal Health Bill

The Mind the Gap Massachusetts coalition continues to advocate for a multi-faceted maternal health bill that includes the Massachusetts Moms Matter Act, which directs state funding to grow and diversify the perinatal mental health workforce. The state House and Senate unanimously passed different versions of the maternal health legislation and will work through the final details in a conference committee this month to ensure that all Massachusetts parents have the resources they need to thrive. Read more about Massachusetts’ efforts.

Mind the Gap-New Jersey Coalition Advances Priority Bills in State Legislature

The Mind the Gap-New Jersey coalition's priority legislation, Assembly Bill 4094, was introduced in this year's legislative session, in both the state's General Assembly and Senate chambers. The bill would expand PMAD screening and reimbursement. The bill has multiple sponsors in both legislative chambers, and the coalition will continue to work to advance the bill this fall. Learn more about Mind the Gap-New Jersey.

EVENTS

Doula Dynamics: Advancing Reproductive Equity: August 22

This free in person and online event will bring together experts, community members, and organizations to discuss strategies for enhancing resilience and improving maternal health outcomes. Learn more and register here.

Congressional Briefing on Maternal Suicide: September 10 from 12- 2 p.m. ET

Join the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention leaders to discuss and learn about the latest policy and research updates on maternal suicide. This congressional briefing will feature experts and leaders in maternal mental health and suicide prevention. Learn more here.



Starting September 19: Expanding the Circle of Support in the Perinatal Period

This free virtual training series will offer critical information, resources, and discussion on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) and supporting birthing people and other new parents, and is geared toward a range of perinatal care providers. Registration is free and CEUs are available for certain providers. Learn more and register here.

PARTNER RESOURCES

Women and Mental Health Across the Lifespan

This edition of Women's Health In Focus at NIH explores women and mental health across the lifespan. The feature story highlighting several areas of research on the biological and social drivers of women’s mental health. Read the story.

Can Virtual Reality-Based Stress Reduction Interventions Be a Game Changer for Addressing Intersectional Stress Among Minoritized Women?

For National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) HDRI Scholar Dr. Judite Blanc shares a harrowing experience she and her new baby experienced and how it motivated her to accept her mentor’s invitation to help design and implement the Nurturing Moms study. Nurturing Moms uses virtual reality to support moms through their third trimester, labor and delivery experience, and postpartum phases. Read more here.

New Perinatal Mental Health Training Database for Health Care Professionals

Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA) launched their new Perinatal Mental Health Training Database for health care professionals. The database includes over 160 trainings, and it is searchable by topic, profession, duration, continuing education or career credits, and more. Learn more here.

How We Can Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Mental Health

Because 40% of California births are covered by Medi-Cal, the state has a huge opportunity to use the program to support the mental health of pregnant and postpartum individuals. This is a goal of the comprehensive Birthing Care Pathway being developed by the California Department of Health Care Services to cover Medi-Cal enrollees from conception through the newborn’s first birthday. The care model encompasses physical health, behavioral health, and health-related social needs, with a goal of reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and addressing significant racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. Read more here.

NEW STUDIES AND REPORTS

2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care

Researchers from The Commonwealth Fund ranked states on their performance related to women's and reproductive health. Importantly, they found that mental health conditions are the most frequently reported cause of preventable pregnancy-related death, including deaths by suicide and overdoses related to substance use disorders. States that screened for postpartum depression at the highest rates also had lowest rates of postpartum depression. Read more here.

RE104: A Novel, Fast-Acting Psychedelic for Postpartum Depression

After years of prohibition, dating back to the 1970s, psychedelics such as psilocybin and RE104 are now being enthusiastically pursued as therapies for a multitude of disorders, including depression. Read more here.

Predicting Risk of Postpartum Depression Using Neurophysiological Measures

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major public health concern, yet we lack tools to predict PPD during pregnancy. Researchers have found that lower sensorimotor gating, as measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, can predict risk of PPD in women who were not depressed during pregnancy. Read more here.

Postpartum Screening Critical for Urinary Symptoms and Related Mental Health

Bothersome urinary symptoms and incontinence at 12 months postpartum are common and treatable. Authors of a new study say screening for those symptoms as well as associated depression and anxiety is essential. Read more here.

Effectiveness of Music Interventions in Maternal Well-Being and Infant Health

Mental health affects maternal well-being and indirectly affects the development of fetal brain structures and motor and cognitive skills of the offspring up to adulthood. This study aimed to identify specific characteristics of music interventions that improve validated maternal outcomes. Read more here.

Exposure to Chemical in Flame Retardants and Other Household Products Elevates Risk of Prenatal Depression

Chemicals known as Organophosphate esters (OPEs), flame retardants commonly found in household products, are known neurotoxicants, but their impact on prenatal depression remains poorly understood. In this study, researchers investigated the association between third-trimester OPE metabolite levels and maternal depressive symptoms among 422 participants from the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) cohort in Los Angeles, primarily comprising low-income Hispanic women. Read more here. 

IN THE NEWS

BlackDoctor.org: Cedars-Sinai Leads Mental Health Study to Help Black Pregnant Women

The American Journal of Managed Care: Dr Rachel Dalthorp: Addressing Barriers in Postpartum Depression Treatment

Romper.com: These Movies and TV Shows Depict the Complicated Reality of Postpartum Mental Health

King5.com, Seattle: The challenges people of color face in accessing mental healthcare during, after pregnancy

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