Here’s a recap of the most recent efforts from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to address social determinants of health (SDoH) including maternal mental health and children’s mental health and wellbeing.
New resources to integrate behavioral health in early childhood programs
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS announced this week new policy guidance and resources for states, Tribes, territories, and local early childhood programs to promote the mental health and wellbeing of children, families, and the early care and education workforce.
The new resources, tailored to recipients of ACF’s four early childhood funding streams, including the Child Care and Development Fund; the Head Start program; the Preschool Development Grants Birth through Five program; and the Tribal Home Visiting Program, will provide recommendations and strategies that encourage healthy child development and integrate mental and behavioral health support in early child care and education programs.
“We are doing everything we can to support our nation’s children, their families, and early educators during the critical early years of development,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. “We know healthy social and emotional development in early childhood forms the foundation for lifelong mental health. These new resources will help early childhood programs to partner with families to create healthy and nurturing learning environments and prepare all children for success in school and life.”
Release of the maternal mental health task force’s national strategy
HHS also announced this week the release of the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health’s national strategy to address the urgent public health crisis of maternal mental health and substance use issues.
HHS underscored the critical need for the national strategy, stating that the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries. Deaths from suicide, drug overdoses, and other causes related to mental health and substance use issues are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S., accounting for more than 22 percent of those deaths. An estimated one in five individuals are impacted by mental health conditions–including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and postpartum psychosis–and substance use disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period and disproportionately affect Black and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals and others in under-resourced communities.
“Addressing the maternal mental health crisis is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. Many of these tragic deaths can be prevented by eliminating health disparities and understanding the impact of mental health during pregnancy and in the first months as a parent,” said Becerra in the announcement. “We want to address the challenges people are facing, decrease stigma associated with these challenges, and improve access to support both inside and outside of the health care system. I want to thank the task force for developing recommendations on how we can work to expand access to equitable treatment that will improve outcomes and help families thrive.”
The task force, a subcommittee of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Advisory Committee for Women’s Services, is comprised of more than 100 federal and nonfederal members, including experts in obstetrics and gynecology, maternal and child health, clinical and research, psychiatry, psychology, counseling, gender-based violence, strategic policy, community behavioral health, federal-community partnerships and those with lived experience.
Within its national strategy, the task force provided recommendations based on five pillars:
- Build a national infrastructure that prioritizes perinatal mental health and wellbeing
- Make care and services accessible, affordable, and equitable
- Use data and research to improve outcomes and accountability
- Promote prevention and engage, educate, and partner with communities
- Lift up lived experience