Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (MMHSUD)

Supporting health care providers

Grantee organizations train providers and offer:

• Real-time mental health consulting and help coordinating care
• Ways to collaborate with other federally funded programs
• Partnerships that expand service choices, such as telehealth
• Resources for creating local referral databases

Improving the public health system for women

This program:

• Increases routine behavioral health screening during and after pregnancy
• Gives them more access to these services close to where they live
• Considers their cultural background when providing care

Learn about other programs we fund to address maternal and behavioral health.

Carrying out the work

• We support 12 states through the MMHSUD program (HRSA-23-085).
• In the previous grant cycle (HRSA-18-101), our awardees created telehealth programs in:
  • Florida
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Montana
  • North Carolina
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

Measuring impact

Grantees collect and report their data each year. They track their progress toward increasing the number of:

• Trained providers
• Provider trainings that include equity and culturally responsive care
• Community-based support service providers in the program’s referral database

Importance of this work

For women in the US, mental and behavior health challenges are common concerns during and after pregnancy.

• Mental health conditions are the leading cause of death during pregnancy and up to one year after having a baby, according to data from Maternal Mortality Review Committees in 36 U.S. states.
• About 1 in 5 pregnant or postpartum women have depression or anxiety disorders.
• Postpartum depressive symptoms are most commonly reported among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Black women, according to data from the CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System as cited in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Resources

• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
• Healthy Start EPIC Center's Mental Health brochures
• HRSA MCHB 21st Century Cures Act Programs: Providing Access to Behavioral Health Care for Pediatric & Maternal Populations (PDF - 1 MB)
• Lifeline4Moms

Contact us

Email Diane Tanman, Public Health Analyst