There is no doubt it’s a tumultuous time in the Federal Government and the proposed spending cuts (see part 2 of my FORUM afterthoughts blog series and read more in this STAT news article on funding for the maternal mental health and 988 suicide prevention hotlines being in limbo). We also haven’t been able to get an answer from leaders facilitating the Federal Maternal Mental Health Task Force on its status, only continued cancellation of meetings. It’s difficult to understand what might be possible in the name of mental health and maternal health under the current Trump administration, but we have hope, and let me tell you why below…. 

During a FORUM panel I moderated titled “National Maternal Health Insights & Resources,” Dr. Joanne Nicholson shared the words that the Administration has banned, such as race, LGBTQ, disparities, advocates, and more. It’s important to note that this is not new, as there was also a list of banned words in the first Trump administration. 

Maternal Mental Health is Bipartisan 

During the closing session of the FORUM I reflected on how maternal mental health has been bipartisan at the Federal and state levels in part because of a purposeful strategy to ensure both Republicans and Democrats are engaged in introducing policy solutions.  

So how have we done this?  

We employed the strategy of “knowing your audience,” using words and funding amounts that appeal to both parties. This includes focusing on lower-level funding requests until a concept is proven effective -the data shows a return on investment (ROI). (I actually deeply believe this is good policy, not just a Republican slant. We would expect the same from the businesses we purchase from and the schools our kids attend, and we should certainly expect the same from government and policy.) 

We have used words that would be appealing to both Republicans and Democrats. The words we would use are women, family, and rural health. We would avoid words like reproductive (which is associated with abortion) and birthing-people.  

In my final remarks, I added several new words/terms that we know are appealing to Republicans and applicable to maternal mental health: workforce (this can refer to people being healthy enough or supported enough to work, or the healthcare workforce), mental health, opioid addiction, healthy moms, infrastructure and state policy.

On the heels of the overturn of Roe v Wade, we have met with Republicans who recognize they can’t force women to have babies and then not support them. We have an important window of opportunity to appeal to both parties, and these strategies will be critical.

Please share your thoughts by emailing us at [email protected] 

Look for the fourth of my four-part “Afterthoughts” blog series next Friday.