LA Initiative Expands Access To Maternal Mental Health Care
India-West News Desk
LOS ANGELES – Approximately one in five mothers experiences mood or anxiety disorders during pregnancy or within the first year after childbirth, yet many do not receive treatment because of barriers such as workforce shortages, limited integration between medical and behavioral health care, inadequate provider training, and stigma.
To help address the gap, a Los Angeles County initiative is helping community health centers better identify and treat mothers experiencing perinatal mental health conditions.
Known as the Los Angeles County Maternal Mental Health Access (LAMMHA) project, the five-year initiative was launched in 2022 with funding from the California Health Care Foundation. The program teaches Federally Qualified Health Centers how to implement the Collaborative Care Model, an evidence-based approach that integrates behavioral health services into primary and perinatal care settings.
Under the Collaborative Care Model, patients identified with mental health needs receive support from a team that may include primary care providers, perinatal care providers, a Behavioral Health Care Manager, and a psychiatric consultant.
Instead of relying solely on referrals to outside specialists, mothers can receive mental health support through care teams working within familiar clinical settings. The approach is designed to make care more accessible and better integrated with existing medical services.
The initiative involves multiple partners, including the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, Elevation Health Partners, Maternal Mental Health Now, Concert Health, and the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
LAMMHA has recruited 16 clinics from five Federally Qualified Health Center systems. Participating clinics receive financial support, training, and ongoing technical assistance to help implement the model.
Early results from the program have been encouraging. Eight participating sites have already shown clinically significant improvements in patient depression scores. The initiative has also helped clinics increase screening rates for perinatal mental health conditions, although organizers say additional work is needed to ensure more patients in need are identified and connected to care.
The program’s organizers say the initiative was designed not only to improve care delivery but also to support long-term sustainability through reimbursement strategies, workforce development, and broader adoption across health centers.
The article concludes that the early success of LAMMHA demonstrates that integrated mental health care can be delivered effectively in community settings, helping mothers access support when and where they need it.
Adapted from “Bridging the Gap: How the Collaborative Care Model is Transforming Maternal Mental Health in Los Angeles,” by Stephanie Teleki, Ian Bennett, Mindy Vredevoogd, and Tess Grover.
