Coalition Supports Perinatal Mental Health Across Metro Detroit
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Improving maternal mental health is critical for the health and well-being of mothers and their children. It takes a village of health care providers to support mothers through mental health conditions, and that’s exactly what the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC) is doing.
SEMPQIC is a collaborative of hospitals, health departments and community-based organizations with home visiting services and doulas in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The members of the coalition work to reduce adverse maternal, perinatal and infant outcomes with evidence-based, community-driven solutions. They support care providers such as midwives, lactation specialists, doulas, community health workers, home visitors, nurses, physicians and mental health providers.
A recent focus, based on survey results, is the mental health of pregnant women and new mothers.
“Postpartum depression is not something new. We have typically called it ‘baby blues,” said Gaylotta Murray, SEMPQIC program manager. “’Baby blues’ generally lasts for a short period of weeks and is resolved without treatment, while postpartum mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) lasts much longer when untreated and early diagnosis and treatment is critical.”
As many as one in seven mothers experience serious mood disorders such as postpartum depression, according to the American Psychological Association. Symptoms include anxiety, mood changes, fear of being a bad mother and thoughts of self-harm or hurting the baby. Treatment is important for the overall health of both mother and child.
To promote maternal mental health, SEMPQIC received funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation in 2022, 2023 and 2024. With the grants, staff evaluated the number of mental health providers trained in perinatal health, particularly mental health and post-partum depression. The grants also allowed them to provide scholarships for specialized training for providers focused on perinatal mental health.
Murray was impressed with the interest in the intense, two-day course. Nearly 90 people applied for the scholarship.
“We got people who have boots on the ground and are out there working with families and wanted to have this so they can give optimal care to the families they are serving,” she said. “An important learning through the training is that fathers are also susceptible to this mental health disorder making it important to monitor their mental health as well.”
SEMPQIC also had listening sessions with mothers in the region. One shared her experience with post-partum depression.
“She didn’t want to tell anyone because she felt shame,” Murray said. “She had thoughts of wanting to harm her baby, and she didn’t want to tell anyone.”
Part of the training is on medications such as antidepressants. At times, Murray said, these medications are key to managing depression and are safe for infants.
“Providers need to be able to recognize needs of women as it relates to mental health,” said Alethia Carr, a registered dietitian and public health consultant for SEMPQIC.
The work continues as SEMPQIC is offering 10 more scholarships for maternal health care workers to take advanced training this year or be certified in perinatal mental health. SEMPQIC is also working with mental health agencies in Metro Detroit to raise community awareness of mood disorders. And one of the unexpected outcomes of SEMPQIC’s work is other agencies began offering scholarships for the training.
“These providers are reaching the highest risk population in state. That’s why we are working so hard to make sure the community is served for complete perinatal health. The populations deserve it,” Carr said.
Image: Getty Images
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