Behavioral health issues, including anxiety, stress and depression, can impact a family’s ability to have a health pregnancy and baby. FLOURISH’s Behavioral Health Action Team is focusing on ways to improve access to services for pregnant and new moms. One way we hope to do this is in partnership with organizations like the Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis (BHN), a recent Missouri Foundation for Health collaborative grantee.
BHN is a collaborative effort of providers, advocacy organizations, government leaders and community members dedicated to developing an accessible and coordinated system of behavioral healthcare throughout the eastern region of Missouri. It focuses on providing mental health and substance use services to the uninsured and underinsured citizens in our region.
In efforts to expand their current mission of serving the underserved communities of North St. Louis city and county, BHN has started “Project PREP” (Peer Resources and Engagement for Pregnant Women). This project is funded by a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health, and focuses on reducing infant mortality rates in high risk areas through early intervention for mothers with mental health issues.
“FLOURISH St. Louis’ focus on infant mortality and maternal health sparked our desire to launch Project PREP,” said Wendy Orson, CEO of BHN. “We saw the opportunity to leverage our network of resources in a new way by specifically targeting pregnant mothers in this population, which is a new approach for us.”
Project PREP includes a combined effort between BHN and community members that relies on relationships within North City and County churches. BHN teamed up with the First Ladies, women who are leaders representing a variety of denominations and churches. They are helping BHN reach their church communities, serving as peer allies and confidants for members seeking help with mental health issues and services.
“The First Ladies help tear down the stigma of mental health in our community,” said Rose Jackson-Beavers, Community Connector Project Manager for BHN. “We are training them so they can raise awareness of how stress, depression and substance use can impact a woman’s pregnancy and parenting – ultimately contributing to the high rates of infant mortality areas of North St. Louis are experiencing.”
Often, mothers suffering from poor mental health experience distrust when it comes to intervention and support services. “Mothers are afraid that we’ll take their children if someone were to find out they are struggling. There’s a stigma of admitting to mental health issues that prevents them from seeking help, so we are relying on these trained peers in their community to help reassure moms that it is absolutely okay to ask for help,” continued Jackson-Beavers.
BHN began this program in July, and will continue to receive grant funding for it through July 2019. To better support this area of maternal mental health, and in an effort to connect more community members to services, BHN has joined FLOURISH St. Louis in contributing to Generate Health’s Perinatal Behavioral Initiative. BHN also operates a hotline that families can call to get connected to resources for depression, anxiety, substance use and other challenges.
FLOURISH’s Behavioral Health Action Team continues to explore solutions for bringing behavioral health services to pregnant and new moms. To share ideas or join the team, visit our Behavioral Health Action Team page.