About the Campaign

Education

MHAMD has long prioritized the mental health needs of new mothers and their families. In 2005, the Health Resources and Services Administration selected Maryland, and eight other states, to develop a comprehensive public and provider education campaign on perinatal depression. With this grant, we reached over 1 million people through media, literature distribution, community engagement, and web-based education. Additionally, we developed provider specific materials, conducted provider education, and increased perinatal depression screening across Maryland.

Over a decade later, demand for the campaign’s resources remain high, so we re-launched our Healthy New Moms campaign in 2016. We gathered input from both providers and pregnant and new moms to develop materials and outreach strategies to best meet their needs. Our goal is to raise awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and offer support and resources to moms, families, and providers across the state of Maryland.

Advocacy

The Mental Health Association of Maryland magnifies the results of our outreach efforts through complementary policy initiatives. In 2014, MHAMD convened a stakeholder group to prioritize maternal mental health and successfully passed the Maternal Mental Health Task Force bill. MHAMD staffed and held a position on the task force, which released its final report and recommendations in 2016 (learn more here.) In 2017, legislation passed that called for a plan to expand the BHIPP program, develop a CME program, and increase public education. While none of these requirements have been fulfilled, MHAMD is committed to seeing them through.

Browse the Healthy New Moms Accomplishments from the last several years. The campaign has made great strides for mothers living with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.