PERINATAL PSYCHIATRY ACCESS PROGRAMS
There simply are not enough psychiatric providers to treat
individuals experiencing maternal mental health conditions.
ONE SOLUTION:
PERINATAL PSYCHIATRY ACCESS PROGRAMS
Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs use specialized psychiatric providers to:
  • EDUCATE front-line providers about maternal mental health conditions
  • CONSULT with frontline providers about treatment
  • SHARE resources and referrals
Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs are successful because they leverage scarce and expensive psychiatric resources to:
  • EXPAND access to care
  • TRAIN the work force
  • SAVE money
LEARN MORE AND SPREAD THE WORD
Lifeline4Moms' new paper Promoting The Health of Parents & Children has more details about Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs.
This 2-page Fact Sheet on Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs gives an overview and is a perfect "leave-behind" for providers.
HOW IT WORKS: BUILDING CAPACITY
Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs build the capacity of frontline providers --
including obstetric, pediatric, primary care, and psychiatric providers -- to address mental health issues through education, consultation, and resources & referrals.
EDUCATION
Trainings and toolkits for providers and staff on evidence-based guidelines for screening, triage, and referral; risks and benefits of treatment; discussion of screening results and treatment options.
CONSULTATION
Real-time psychiatric consultation for
frontline providers
serving
perinatal individuals including obstetric, pediatric, primary care,
and psychiatric providers.
RESOURCES & REFERRALS
Linkages with community-based mental health resources including individual and group therapy, support groups, and other resources to support the well-being of perinatal individuals.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
MCPAP for Moms launched in 2014 as the first Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program in the United States. MCPAP for Moms builds upon the successful Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP). The goal of these programs is to build the capacity of frontline medical providers to effectively prevent, identify, and manage mental health and substance use disorders.
BRINGING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION OUT OF THE SHADOWS ACT

This federal legislation provides funding to states to create Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs based on the MCPAP for Moms model. In 2018, 30 states and the District of Columbia applied for funding for Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs; 7 states were each awarded 5-year grants (totaling $3.2 million per state over the lifetime of the program). This is the first-ever federal funding to address maternal mental health in the United States. Learn more HERE.
NATIONWIDE IMPACT OF PERINATAL PSYCHIATRY ACCESS PROGRAMS
Links to websites or relevant emails for state programs are included where available.
*indicates program receives funding from federal government
CALIFORNIA
CommonSpirit Health Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Service
GEORGIA
PEACE for Moms
ILLINOIS
MASSA-
CHUSETTS
MICHIGAN
MONTANA*
PRISM for Moms
RHODE ISLAND*
VERMONT*
Screening, Treatment, & Access for Mothers and Perinatal Partners
WISCONSIN
COORDINATION & LEARNING
The Lifeline4Moms National Network of Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs -- funded by the Perigee Fund -- is a learning community that brings together Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs from across the country to:
  • Evaluate, inform, and share best practices
  • Build community, engage partners and collaborators, evaluate programs, and facilitate peer learning
  • Identify policies and funding to replicate successful cost-effective models
"Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs address a critical public health issue and are positively changing the healthcare landscape."
Tiffany Moore Simas, MD, MPH, MEd
Lifeline4Moms Medical Director; MCPAP for Moms Engagement Director
Working with Policy Makers to Address Maternal Mental Health Conditions
MMHLA -- founded in 2018 -- is a nonpartisan 501(c)3 non-profit organization
dedicated to promoting the mental health of childbearing women in the United States
by advocating for universal education, screening, referral, and treatment
of postpartum depression and related maternal mental health (MMH) conditions.

Our vision is that all childbearing women in the United States will be educated about and screened for maternal mental health conditions and have access to resources for recovery.

RAISING AWARENESS. BUILDING CONSENSUS. SHARING BEST PRACTICES.