Resources

Issue: Mental health disorders among pregnant and postpartum women are on the rise, yet many women do not seek or receive treatment due to numerous barriers. Those receiving care often get an inconsistent message about preventative measures or whether to continue psychiatric medications during pregnancy. Untreated mental illness among mothers can have profound consequences for...

In 2023, recognizing that in the U.S., responsibility for healthcare systems and health outcomes largely fall to the states, the Policy Center introduced the inaugural maternal mental health reports to identify key data sets and track results by state. The 2024 report cards highlight progress and remaining areas of opportunity. In 2024, the overall national...

Approximately one in 20 people report using cannabis while pregnant, making it the most used federally illicit substance by pregnant people in the U.S., according to SAMSHA. The potential harms of perinatal cannabis use to maternal, fetal, and newborn health are well-documented. This publication is intended as a resource for state MCH professionals in designing...

Abstract Involvement of patients and the public is now recognized to be essential for the good conduct of research. Patient and public involvement in research priority setting and funding decisions is only beginning to be recognized as important, and methods for doing so are nascent. This protocol describes the Research Prioritization by Affected Communities (RPAC)...

Increasing women’s access to postpartum birth control has the potential to increase the health and well-being of women and their families, and immediate postpartum birth control can lead to a decrease in unplanned pregnancies, increased intervals between pregnancies, and a reduction in neonatal abstinence syndrome births (from drug exposure in the womb). Tennessee and California...