About Us

Our Focus

While our first 10 years focused on elevating maternal mental health and identifying the complex barriers, our next 10 years will focus on doubling down on the implementation of solutions. We looked at our unique strengths and assets, where gaps remain in the field, and how we can line up our strengths to tackle them. To that end, from 2022-2025, we will focus on three areas, which we call our

“3 As:”

• – Access to Providers & Programs
• – Ample Insurance Coverage
• – Appropriate Screening & Treatment

What We Do

Critical Content & Research

This strategy builds on the Policy Center’s track record of curating and communicating cutting-edge content to those we serve. Our content portfolio includes Issue Briefs, Fact Sheets, Policy Analysis, Tracking Legislation, and the sharing of relevant research and articles, alongside original research initiatives such as Maternal Mental Health State Report Cards and the Embedding CHW Pilot. Distribution of this content occurs through FORUM sessions, webinars, blogs, infographics (including graphic illustrations), storytelling, and social media memes and messaging.

Convenings & Communities of Practice

We connect change agents working to solve the same problems or operating in similar settings to efficiently and collaboratively close gaps in maternal mental health care, convening communities through fellowship programs, the continued development of maternal mental health LinkedIn groups, the Maternal Mental Health FORUM, webinars, and congressional briefings. These communities of practice may also center on adopting the Policy Center’s “Whole Mom” standard checklists. Through our Co-Laboratory and broader co-laborations, we bring implementation science to life by partnering to test, refine, and scale solutions that work, while also offering state nonprofit policy consulting, state government agency policy consulting, and providing technical assistance to support adoption

Who We Influence

We put mothers at the center of our work. We directly serve, through both “push and pull” strategies, cross-sector leaders & change agents in the U.S.:

• – Policy Makers (Law Makers, Regulators Addressing Health Policy)
• – Providers (Hospital/Health Systems, Obstetricians/Midwives)
• – Payors (Health Plans, Employers, Medicaid Agencies, Insurers)
• – Partners (Nonprofits and Community Based Organizations)

Intended Outcomes – 3 As

Availability of Providers

A broad range of qualified maternal mental health providers so evidence-based care options are readily available to mothers in the U.S.

Appropriate Screening

We believe the health care system should screen every mother starting in pregnancy and throughout the postpartum period using evidence-based, comprehensive, easy to use and culturally concordant screening tools. We also believe advancements in science are necessary to diagnose these disorders, beyond the use of a screening tool.

Ample Coverage

We believe in ample insurance coverage which includes:

Appropriate reimbursement to

-obstetric providers that aligns incentives for screening and treatment

-mental health providers to ensure that insurance networks are robust

And patient coverage of:

-all evidence-based treatments and FDA approved drugs

-at affordable cost shares

What Makes Us Unique

Of the other organizations and leaders focusing on maternal mental health in the U.S., the Policy Center is most known for understanding the complex health delivery system, including how change can be driven through:

• – Integration of mental health care into medical health care
• – Provider payment strategy
• – Insurance/coverage benefit design, and
• – Provider networks

This understanding has helped the Policy Center lead the way in identifying the most pressing barriers to screening and treatment.