MENTAL HEALTH & SUD

Current Initiatives

AMCHP is committed to supporting our members to address mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD) among MCH populations at the state level and to advocating at the national level. Learn more about why this is a priority area for AMCHP and our members and how we are committed to addressing this through our strategic plan and legislative agenda.

Check out the Mental Health Corner in AMCHP’s Member Briefs to stay up-to-date on mental health events and happenings.

Current Initiatives

Supported by the greater Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Resource Center (AYAH-NRC), AMCHP co-leads the AYA Behavioral Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN), composed of multidisciplinary teams from select states. These teams operate through their public health systems (led by state Title V/maternal and child health programs) and primary care systems (led by clinical partners and practices).

To respond to this growing mental health crisis, the AYAH-NRC is mobilizing the CoIIN to improve depression screening and follow-up for young people through 1.) systems-level behavioral health integration in primary care, and 2.) increasing screening rates for Major Depressive Episodes (MDEs) in clinical settings using practice-based quality improvement tools and methods. The goal is to achieve an 80 percent screening rate for MDE in patients ages 12 to 25 using an age-appropriate standardized tool, with documentation of a follow-up plan when screen results are positive. To learn more about the AYA-Behavioral Health CoIIN, please refer to the current initiatives on the Adolescent Health page.

To receive updates from the #ScreenToInterveneForAYAs: Blog on Youth Mental Health, sign up here and contact Anna Corona (acorona@amchp.org) to have your writing featured!

Twitter: @AMCHP_GrowingUp
Twitter Hashtag: #ScreenToInterveneForAYAs

Access to quality health care for MCH populations is a nationwide concern. Nowhere is this more apparent than in access to substance use and mental health services. The goal of the PRISM project is to build the capacity of Title V MCH leaders to develop and implement policy initiatives that improve access to substance use disorder and mental health care for reproductive-age women. PRISM is a joint effort of AMCHP and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).

Multi-State Learning Collaborative

The PRISM project supports state teams through a cohort learning collaborative model. Nine states and jurisdictions have participated in PRISM cohorts, through which they receive training and technical assistance from AMCHP and ASTHO on promising approaches to improve behavioral health for reproductive-age women and engage in peer learning opportunities

Behavioral health learning opportunities for the MCH field

The PRISM team offers educational opportunities for states to advance policy and programming to address mental health and substance use disorders among MCH populations. Topics have included: addressing barriers to prevention, treatment, and recovery; perinatal harm reduction; strategies for working with policymakers and state legislatures on behavioral health initiatives, approaches to destigmatizing behavioral health; and primary care integration.

The PRISM team also partners with other national organizations working at the intersection of behavioral health and MCH, including the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), and the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC).

Email prism@astho.org to sign-up for the PRISM monthly newsletter.

Funded by HRSA/MCHB, AMCHP’s Core Cooperative Agreement includes a focus on current and emerging public health issues, including mental health and substance use disorders in MCH populations. This project includes information-sharing on best practices and approaches to improve mental and emotional health and well-being within MCH. AMCHP also provides technical assistance to state Title V programs to address challenges in responding to the mental and behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery needs within their states. Two recent technical assistance topic areas include building the capacity of Title V to develop and implement anti-stigma activities and developing strategies for integrating primary and behavioral health care for MCH populations along the continuum of care. To carry out this work, AMCHP collaborates with national, state, and local mental health organizations and agencies as well as subject matter experts to provide training to state MCH program staff on key cultural and socioeconomic considerations for mental health and substance use disorders for different MCH populations.

The Mental Health Team is composed of staff from AMCHP’s six content teams. Internally, the AMCHP mental health team envisions an organization that is well-positioned to build the capacity of Title V programs to address the behavioral health needs of their MCH populations. Externally, AMCHP envisions a future where mental health is seen as integral to overall health for MCH populations. AMCHP promotes integrated systems, reducing stigma, and increasing access to mental health and substance use services. To strive toward these internal and external goals, the Mental Health Team has three primary functions.

Build the capacity of AMCHP staff to integrate mental health programming into their existing projects and grant proposals.
Support the implementation of services and activities that promote the mental health of AMCHP staff and their families.
Provide guidance and support to state Title V staff to address mental health issues in MCH populations.

To contact the AMCHP Mental Health Team, please email mentalhealth@amchp.org.

MENTAL HEALTH & SUD

Recent Resources & Tools

Opportunities to Leverage Opioid Settlement Funding for State Maternal and Child Health Priorities

This issue brief provides an overview of the opioid settlements, the second largest settlement in American history. The brief features case studies from four state public health organizations that demonstrate how settlement funds can be leveraged to support families impacted by substance use. MCH professionals should consider the recommendations presented in the brief to influence decision-making and ensure funding benefits MCH priorities. Read More

Unveiling of the Perinatal Substance Use Special Issue in the Maternal and Child Health Journal

Almost one in four pregnancy-related deaths is attributed to mental health conditions, including substance use disorder (SUD), making them the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths. This special issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal builds on the evidence base, with 21 open articles that feature the latest research, program, and policy initiatives in perinatal SUD. The special issue is sponsored by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, with funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau within the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. We invite you to read the special issue (https://bit.ly/MCHJPerinatalSUD) and promote the special issue using AMCHP's social media toolkit (https://bit.ly/MCHJSocialMediaToolkit). Read More

Advancing Perinatal Substance Use Policy with People with Lived Experience – Webinar September 2023

AMCHP and AAP Virtual Learning Café on Pediatric Mental Health: Session 1 Recording

AMCHP and AAP are hosting a virtual learning café series to increase awareness of community-based mental health supports that are available to children/youth and families. Each learning café will include a short didactic presentation, followed by peer-to-peer discussion and questions. Presenters will include staff from MCH Title V programs who have ongoing mental health programs that involve Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) programs and/or pediatric primary care professionals. This recording is of the first virtual learning café that took place on September 7th, 2023. The session featured the Virginia Department of Health. Access resources related to the PMHCA Virtual Café Padlet: https://padlet.com/tkeane8/pmhca_virtual_cafe Read More

Closeup face of happy children embracing each other and smiling at camera.

Adolescent & Young Adult Behavioral Health Collaboration Guide

This document was designed to help MCH programs identify potential collaborators active in AYA health in your state or region. As you consider partnering with other organizations, it is important to consider their primary interests and the potential contributions they could make to population mental health improvement efforts. This list is a starting point for collaboration; every region is different and there may relevant partners not on this list. The Collaboration Worksheet at the end of this document can help guide brainstorming of potential partners and how their current initiatives or priorities will benefit from a collaboration with your organization. Read More