Perinatal Mental Health Newsletter
Spring 2022

A Guide to Perinatal Mental Health in the District
Dear Colleagues,

Happy Spring! Thank you for your continued support and partnership with our program. We are grateful to engage in this meaningful work alongside such brilliant and dedicated community partners. 2022 is off to a quick start and there are already so many exciting happenings in the DMV perinatal mental health space we are thrilled to share with you. Please see below for program updates, resources, and PMH-related trainings and events.
News
Program Name Change
We are proud to announce that the former Maternal Mental Health Program at Mary’s Center has officially been renamed the Perinatal Mental Health Program. This change aligns with our mission to provide inclusive and participant-centered care for all pregnant and postpartum people.

Please note our program email address has changed from MMH@maryscenter.org to PMH@maryscenter.org. Emails sent to the former email address will be forwarded to the new one to ensure we don’t miss any emails during the transition!
NEW External Referral Form for the Mary’s Center Perinatal Mental Health Program
We have created an online referral form for community partners and members to refer folks to perinatal mental health services at Mary’s Center. Please see our program website for the link to the referral form. Reach out to Andrea Agalloco at aagalloco@maryscenter.org for additional referral questions. 
Join us for our next PMH Project ECHO meeting!
Have you heard of our Project EHCO? It is an innovative knowledge sharing virtual learning space that enables practitioners to come together in an “all teach, all learn” model to strengthen our perinatal mental health care in the DMV.

We would love to have you join us for our next monthly ECHO meeting in April! You may use this link to register and receive additional information about our Mary’s Center PMH ECHO meetings. Email Austyn Holleman at AHolleman@maryscenter.org for additional ECHO information or if you are interested in presenting at a future meeting!
Resources
Mary’s Center is currently hosting a weekly combined pregnancy and postpartum, drop-in, virtual support group in English every Monday from 5pm-6pm. Email us at aholleman@maryscenter.org if you would like to refer a client for group! (D.C. and M.D. clients only please)
The D.C. Mother-Baby Wellness Program offers PMH screening, care coordination, therapy services and more to support D.C. residents who are pregnant and up to 6 months postpartum and receive their medical care in the District.
PSI Virginia has a number of weekly (virtual) support group options for postpartum people: See here for the weekly group schedule.
Adventist Healthcare is running a free, 6-week Miscarriage, Infant Death or Stillbirth Support Group starting April 5th. Please reach out to Jeanie McGrath at jeaniemcgrath@gmail.com, 240-481-3903 for more information and or register for the Zoom link.
Looking for a specific PMH-related resource in our community? Use the DMV PMH Resource Guide from the D.C. Metro Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative! Here you can search for providers, support groups, advocacy groups and other resources supporting perinatal mental health in our community!
Stay up-to-date with perinatal health and mental health legislation using the AMCHP Maternal Health Bill Tracker.
Stay up-to-date with bills introduced as part of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 with this new tracker from the Century Foundation
Events
The D.C. Dept. of Health Care Finance has convened an Advisory Group to inform the rolling out of legislation that will expand birth doula services to be covered under Medicaid in the District. The monthly meetings are open to the public. See here for more information about the legislation and how to attend the monthly Advisory Group meetings.
The Developing Brain Institute offers a series of monthly perinatal mental health trainings hosted by the D.C.-wide Community Network of Mother-Baby Wellness.
The Mental Health Association of Maryland is hosting a webinar series for pregnant and new parents on PMADs. See here for more information.
Shades of You, Shades of Me will be hosting their 4th Annual Multicultural Maternal Mental Health Conference and are currently looking for speakers, scholarship recipients and sponsors.
Black Maternal Health Week and Summit will be hosted by the Shades of Blue project July 19-25. See here for more information and to submit a proposal for the summit.
Have You Heard/Read/Seen?
The Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Act of 2022 legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill will support the expansion of PMH screening and treatment grants to address PMH and substance use disorders at the state level. Congrats to MMHLA and the countless community partners that supported the creation of this bill.
The Black Women’s Health Imperative hosted the webinar: The Path to Perinatal Mental Wellness: A Missing Link to Improving Black Maternal Health Outcomes. Hosts include mental health experts from the Imperative that also have lived experienced in mental health challenges in the perinatal period.
Local Resources
Mary's Center
Perinatal Mental Health
202-420-7157
George Washington
Five Trimesters Clinic
202-741-2888
Postpartum Support International  
(PSI) DC Chapter 
Assistance with linkage to care
202-643-7290
Washington Hospital Center
Perinatal psychiatrist and 
clinician embedded in 
Obstetric (OB) clinic
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Visit the resource guide  on the DC Health Check site. 
See pages 43-47 for local perinatal mental health resources. 
To search for private practice clinicians, visit DMV PMH Resource Guide
Newsletter Purpose & Partners
This newsletter aims to strengthen existing pathways for information exchange and referral resources.  
 
Perinatal Mental Health clinicians and advocates, as well as allied professionals, continue to improve the perinatal mental health landscape in the DC area through efforts such as education/advocacy, increased screening of pregnant and postpartum people in pediatric and obstetric settings, perinatal mental health specific resources/referrals, and pathways for communication and networking.  
 
We welcome your thoughts and input about how to make this newsletter most valuable to you in your work of supporting pregnant and postpartum people and families in the District and surrounding metro area!   
 
If you have information, events, or other communications you'd like to have sent out via the newsletter, please email pmh@maryscenter.org. We want this resource to serve you as you support the perinatal population!
This newsletter is supported by the generous funding of the