DELAWARE -With Delaware ranked among the states with the lowest-graded maternal mental health systems in the nation, state leaders have passed House Concurrent Resolution 82, directing the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium to map out the First State’s perinatal mental health care system.
Sponsored by Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, Sen. Marie Pinkney and Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner, HCR 82 highlights recent progress in expanding perinatal health resources for growing families. It also acknowledges ongoing gaps in data collection, workforce shortages and inequities in care among communities of color and across Delaware’s three counties.
“Delaware has made great strides to increase access to perinatal healthcare, ” said Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay, chair of the Behavioral Health Consortium. “But the fact remains that mental health is often a strong contributing factor in maternal death. These tragedies are preventable. To save lives and adequately serve Delaware families, we must fix our fragmented perinatal mental healthcare system. I know that the BHC is well-positioned to lead the work ahead, developing a report that will assess our strengths and challenges and that will chart a renewed vision to support Delaware families at every stage.”
The resolution charges the Behavioral Health Consortium with creating a comprehensive perinatal “state of the state” report. The report will serve as a roadmap for statewide efforts to significantly expand access to quality care in Delaware.
“We can’t fix what we do not take the time to fully understand. Perinatal mental health is not separate from maternal health…it is central to it,” said Minor-Brown, a member of the consortium. “If we are serious about saving lives, this must remain part of our strategy. Hope alone will not get us there, but accountability, data, and action will.”
The consortium’s Maternal Mental Health Working Group will lead development of the report in collaboration with the Delaware Division of Public Health, the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium, the Delaware Chapter of Postpartum Support International, the Delaware Health Care Commission and other partners.
“We are witnessing a critical moment in our state, where now more than ever, there is an unwavering commitment to tackle the devastating effects of the maternal mental health crisis. As the Chair of the Maternal Mental Health Working Group, and a provider offering perinatal care for over a decade, I am ready to lead the Behavioral Health Consortium efforts in creating a report that I know will not only identify the challenges in our maternal mental healthcare systems, but greater opportunities to foster healthier families, “ said Dr. Malina Spirito, chair of the working group.
“A comprehensive report at this magnitude is long overdue and the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium is ready to partner with the Behavioral Health Consortium and the Office of the Lt. Governor to complete this crucial task. While I’m excited for the work ahead, I am most looking forward to the solutions that will come from these coordinated efforts to shape a maternal mental healthcare system Delawareans deserve that centers on equity and access,” said Dr. Priscilla Mpasi, chair of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium.
Over the course of the year, the consortium will work to submit a finalized report to the Office of the Governor and the Delaware General Assembly by Dec. 1.