Who Cares for Mom? Building a Better Maternal Mental Health System

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Maternal mental health is often discussed only after a crisis: the trials of Lindsay Clancy and Latarsha Sanders brought public attention to maternal mental health, but much of that attention has focused on rare and tragic outcomes and on questions of individual or criminal responsibility. What has this moment revealed, not about one woman or one case, but about the systems we have built for mothers who need mental health care? What happens after someone screens positive for a mental health condition? And as we encourage women to ask for help, have we built a system capable of providing it when they do? Panelists will focus on the laws, policies, payment structures, and health care systems that shape whether pregnant and postpartum women can obtain timely, appropriate mental health care. They will examine where patients fall through the gaps, who is responsible for follow-up and continuity of care, and which legal and policy levers could make care easier to find, finance, and sustain.

Moderated by John C. Ford S.J. Distinguished Scholar and Professor of the Practice at BC Law, Mary Ann Chirba, panelists include Emily Bailey, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health; Dr. Nancy Byatt, Founding Medical Director of MCPAP for Moms; and Jessie Colbert, Coordinator for the Massachusetts Mind the Gap Coalition.