Postpartum Support Virginia has been awarded the 2018 Maternal Mental Health Community Solutions Innovation Award by the 2020Mom Project and Marce of North America (MONA). The award was made in partnership with Postpartum Support International (PSI) and with generous support of Denver’s Zoma Foundation.
2020 Mom and MONA created the annual Maternal Mental Health Innovation Awards in 2017 to recognize impactful programs for their leadership in supporting maternal mental health and to share innovative models that have the potential to scale and promote national change in a rapid and effective manner. Up to 1 in 5 women will encounter maternal mental health disorders, such as postpartum depression, during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
PSVa was recognized for the Williamsburg Maternal Mental Health Coalition, which has worked to implement universal education, screening, treatment, and referral for maternal mental health issues, including postpartum depression. The Coalition convened community stakeholders who interact with women during the perinatal timeframe to address maternal mental health issues with a coordinated, comprehensive, community-wide approach.
Danielle Cauley, PSVa’s Williamsburg Coordinator, accepted the award at PSI’s 31st annual conference in Houston TX in July 2018. Danielle has been instrumental in the success of the Williamsburg Coalition: she organizes quarterly meetings of Coalition members, leads a twice-monthly support group at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, provides outreach and education sessions in the community, and connects women seeking help with resources for recovery.
Using the successful Williamsburg Maternal Mental Health Coalition model, PSVa is launching similar coalition efforts in several locations in Virginia, including Hampton/Newport News, Richmond, and Woodbridge, with plans for additional coalitions in 2019 in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Lynchburg.