New York (WRGB) — Governor Hochul has announced the release of New York State’s first-ever maternal mental health report, offering a roadmap to improve mental health care for pregnant and postpartum women.
According to the release, the milestone report, created by the Maternal Mental Health Workgroup led by the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), details key challenges affecting nearly one in five pregnant women statewide and includes recommendations to strengthen screening, treatment, and support services.
Governor Hochul said,
As New York’s first Mom-Governor, this is personal for me — and I’ll never stop working to ensure that pregnant women across our state have the support and resources they need. Our report and ongoing efforts will help ensure all New Yorkers have access to critical mental health supports that improve outcomes for pregnant women and their children — especially among populations most at risk.
Alongside the report, OMH is providing $850,000 in funding to extend its Collaborative Care Model for maternal mental health. The funding will help OBGYN and family medicine practices integrate behavioral health services, improving access to perinatal depression screening and treatment while addressing racial disparities in care.
In the release, the state will also host two virtual roundtable discussions this month — on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 — focused on reducing stigma and highlighting support programs for maternal mental health.
OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said the report marks an important step toward addressing inequities that put some New Yorkers at greater risk.
Sullivan said,
Robust prenatal and postpartum supports can have a tremendous impact on outcomes for our families. This report shows areas where improvement is needed in our state and starts the discussion on how to best address inequities that are placing some New Yorkers at greater risk. Governor Hochul’s continued focus on maternal mental health is helping us chart a course to better support and improve outcomes for pregnant women statewide.
Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald added that caring for parents’ mental health is critical to the well-being of families as a whole.
According to the release, nationally, about one in five pregnant women experience mood or anxiety disorders during pregnancy or within the first year after giving birth, and roughly 75% go untreated.
In the release, under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York is expanding programs like Project TEACH and HealthySteps, and developing specialized training for counselors on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to better assist mothers experiencing mental health distress.
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