The University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia has launched a program to increase access to mental health care for pregnant women and new moms throughout the state.
The university was awarded a five-year $3.37 million federal grant from the HRSA and a $1.5 million contract through the state Department of Health & Senior Services to increase access to perinatal psychiatric care and reduce maternal mortality across the state, according to a Nov. 8 news release.
The Missouri Perinatal Psychiatry Access Project will build on the university's Child Psychiatry Access Project, which has provided over 2,000 child psychiatry consultations to providers throughout Missouri.
The new program will train primary care providers to treat and manage behavioral health needs for pregnant and new moms through virtual expert consultations and will include follow-up care coordination, the release said.
The program is a collaborative partnership that includes the Missouri Telehealth Network, Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis, Behavioral Health Network, Generate Health, SSM Health and the Washington University Perinatal Behavioral Health Service.