Welcome to WA Maternal* Mental Health Access (MaMHA) – resources and support for perinatal providers

Washington Maternal Mental Health Access (MaMHA) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington (UW), is a funded program through the Perinatal Unit of the Office of Family and Community Health Improvement, Washington State Department of Health (DOH), to train and support members of WA primary care clinics to decrease perinatal suicide risk and accidental opioid overdose. The MaMHA program is offering three CME-accredited** recorded webinars starting October 5, 2021 and a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Learning Collaborative starting January 2022. Please see the learning collaborative page for addition information and application details.  

*We use the terms women, mother, mom, and maternal for simplicity, but are including all birthing people, as well as transgender and gender non-conforming people. 

How can I use MaMHA to support my work to reduce suicide risk and accidental opioid overdose in my perinatal patient population?

  • Register to attend one or all of the four monthly CME accredited** MaMHA ECHO webinars, Februrary - May 2022
  • Earn CME credits by registering for the CME-accredited** MaMHA recorded webinar series - see more information below
  • Visit the MaMHA Resources page for direct links to key perinatal mental health support resources for providers and parents.
  • Watch a video success story - California FQHC shares their story implementing collaborative care for their perinatal population as part of the UW MInD-I project led by Dr. Ian Bennett.

 

Background:

Nationally, approximately 700 women die each year from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. CDC estimates that 60%, or three in five, of these deaths are preventable.

  • In Washington State, the Maternal Mortality Review Panel was established to review maternal deaths within the state and produce a biennial report with findings and recommendations to prevent future maternal deaths. Findings from the WA 2014-2016 Maternal Mortality Review Panel identified:
    • 100 WA pregnancy-associated deaths in 2014-2016
    • Behavioral health conditions, including suicide and overdose (30%) to be the leading underlying cause of death among pregnancy-related deaths (N=30)
    • Factors that contributed to these rates: access to health care services, gaps in continuity of care (especially postpartum), gaps in clinical skill and quality of care, and lack of care coordination at the provider, facility, and systems levels
  • The learning collaborative and the related introductory webinar topics will be informed by the findings from the WA Maternal Mortality Review panel on Maternal Mortality rates in the state.