Pathways to Perinatal Mental Health Equity

Mental health conditions occurring during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum (the perinatal period) occur in 1 in 5 perinatal individuals. To improve mental health care during the perinatal period, this study will implement and compare a health care model of improving mood and anxiety disorder care in practices with a health care-community partnership model. The study will include 32 perinatal care settings across the United States. Half of them will have the health care model, the other half will have the health care-community partnership model. The study is designed to answer the question, "Should states and healthcare systems put resources into a healthcare system approach or a healthcare-community partnership approach to mental health care?" The results of this study will help states and healthcare systems decide how to develop pathways for increasing access to mental health care for pregnant and postpartum individuals.

Mental health conditions are now the leading cause of death during pregnancy and the postpartum period (the perinatal period) in the United States. One in five individuals who are pregnant or one year or less postpartum experience a mood or anxiety disorder. Despite these risks and the availability of evidence-based treatments for mood and anxiety disorders that occur during this time, most do not receive adequate treatment, if any at all. Gaps in care loom largest for individuals who are Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Thus, it is recommended that, in order to detect and address perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and related social inequities, screening be implemented in both healthcare and community settings. In response, the study team has developed approaches for addressing mood and anxiety disorders in both healthcare and community settings caring for pregnant and postpartum individuals. These programs have been adopted across the United States. The study's community partner, Postpartum Support International (PSI), developed a national Peer Support Program that pairs individuals in need of support with a trained volunteer who has also experienced and fully recovered from a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. The study's research partner, UMass Chan, developed: * A statewide program that offers support to patients and their medical professionals to help them both address mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period. * A national network of similar statewide programs to coordinate their efforts across the United States. * A comprehensive approach to help obstetric care settings address mental health concerns among their patients. Despite the benefits of these programs, investigators have learned that none of them is sufficient to address mental health challenges on their own. In response, investigators will conduct this study to examine what happens when healthcare- and community-based teams' partner to deliver care for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. One of the aims of the study is to test the effectiveness of the Healthcare-Community Partnership between PSI and UMass Chan. Thirty-two perinatal care settings (e.g., clinics, practices, and health centers providing care to pregnant and postpartum individuals) across the United States will implement either a 1) health system-focused approach or 2) healthcare-community partnership approach to mental health. In the health system-focused approach, perinatal care settings will integrate screening, assessment, and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders into prenatal and postpartum care. The Healthcare-Community Partnership approach will include the health system-focused approach and PSI Peer Support. Thus, all patients getting perinatal care at the 32 clinical sites will be offered the intervention. The study team will then look at patient charts to see if patients receive treatm trial.show_full_description

Inclusion Criteria for perinatal care setting team members: * Be employed by a participating perinatal care setting in a clinical role (including as an obstetrician-gynecologist, midwife, nurse practitioner, a nurse, a navigator, or administrative staff member who implemented the respective intervention during the study period). * Be 18 years of age or older * Provide verbal consent prior to the focus group or interview * Be proficient in English Inclusion Criteria for peer mentors: * Have completed PSI training to be a peer mentor * Be 18 years of age or older * Provide verbal consent prior to the focus group or interview * Be proficient in English Inclusion Criteria for perinatal individuals: * Have received perinatal care at a study partnering perinatal care setting during the study period * Be 18 years of age or older * Provide verbal consent prior to the focus group or interview * Be proficient in English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: An individual who does not meet the inclusion criteria listed above will be excluded from participation in this study. There are no additional exclusion criteria.