“My hope is this is just the beginning of a different type of community service,” she said.
A barrier for mothers and young children to thrive is insufficient access to maternal mental health services, particularly for Black and Hispanic women, according to the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance. Nationally, one in five moms is impacted by a mental health condition, affecting 800,000 families annually, according to the organization.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
The bi3 Fund donated the money for the center. It’s President and CEO Jill Miller said focusing on reducing significant disparities “allows us to improve care for all and achieve the greatest change in health outcomes. Improving maternal mental health not only helps moms, but has a positive impact on children, households, and communities.”
While the grant will help address maternal mental health for the next three years, Brock said it will also establish an infrastructure to support the whole person — and both the mother and child — at the BTW beyond the three years of the grant. The hope, Brock said, is moms will bring their children back to the center for its other services.
“Every mother deserves support for her mental health and emotional well-being,” Miller said. “Through this philanthropic investment, we hope more new and expectant moms, especially those facing the greatest barriers, can access the care and support they need.”
While this grant is to support new and expecting Black and Hispanic moms, Brock said no one would be turned away.
“But because we serve everybody, I don’t turn away a mother who needs help. Not on my watch. We don’t do that,” she said.
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