As a healthcare administrator, I was shocked by how ill-prepared the health care system seemed to handle a case like mine. I believe that by improving our systems, we can improve maternal mental health outcomes and change the positively impact the lives of millions of families across the U.S.
Survivor Survey
I conducted an informal perinatal mental health survivor survey to learn more about other women’s experiences with the health care system. I wanted to understand which parts of my journey reflected common themes that I could elevate in the health care world when speaking about my experience. Nearly 90 women responded to this survey and graciously shared information about their experiences with me.
As I hope you can see from the summary chart below – if we want women to feel supported by the health care system if and when they navigate a perinatal mental health disorder, we have quite a ways to go.
Graph from my informal survivor survey, conducted December 2024-January 2025. Not a random sample or IRB-approved, just one mom collecting information from other moms to find patterns to elevate.
Spreading Best Practices for ALL Hospitals and Clinics
I believe in Just Culture and the fact that improving our outcomes begins with fixing the system, not the people.
Not every hospital can or should establish their own inpatient mother-baby psychiatric unit or intensive outpatient program, just like not every hospital can or should have a heart transplant program. That said, any clinic or hospital that routinely interacts with pregnant or postpartum individuals has an opportunity to bolster their systems and processes to catch more women who are struggling and help them find appropriate care.
There are some incredible tools out there from organizations that have been working tirelessly to figure out how we can transform our systems to better support women. The tools below can help organizations figure out where to start!
Resources for All Healthcare Professionals & Systems
Spreading Perinatal Intensive Treatment Programs
I am here today because I got access to specialized, intensive care.
Most women in the U.S. live over 100+ miles from any kind of intensive perinatal treatment program.
I am on a mission to change that! No need to re-invent the wheel; other countries have figured this out and there are a handful of amazing programs here in the U.S. We need to spread evidence-based models of care so that all women in the U.S. have access to this kind of life-saving care, not just a lucky few.
Check out this 5 minute video to learn more!
To learn more…
- PSI’s List of Intensive Treatment Resources in the US: Link
- Information about Mother and Baby Units in the UK: Link
- Article by April Dembosky, A Humane Approach To Caring For New Mothers In Psychiatric Crisis: Link
My Theory of Change
