Maternal Depression Improvement Project

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Maternal Depression during pregnancy is common and treatable, but often not diagnosed due to stigma, lack of screening, and lack of treatment resources. In Los Angeles County, one in three mothers reported feeling depressed during their pregnancy. Left untreated, maternal depression leads to long-term depression in the mother, a lack of emotional availability for the baby and negative outcomes for infant and child development. This award submission describes an innovative county department alliance that has resulted in new services for county residents, filled in the gaps in existing services, and raised awareness of maternal depression through intergovernmental collaboration and cooperation, resulting in a public-private partnership: The Los Angeles County Perinatal Mental health Task Force. Founded in 2007, the task Force’s core mission is to remove barriers to prevention, screening, and treatment of perinatal mood disorders and to improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women, babies, and their families. The task Force’s accomplishments include the development of a training Institute on perinatal depression, an awareness campaign, public policy changes, publications, data briefs, and increased resources for treatment.