HHS Awards $10 Million for New Community-Based Maternal Behavioral Health Services Grant Program

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently awarded $10 million for the Community-Based Maternal Behavioral Health Services Program, a new grant program supporting the behavioral health of pregnant and postpartum women. Behavioral health conditions, such as postpartum depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder, affect about 1 in 5 pregnant and postpartum women in the U.S, and have negative impacts not only on the mother but also entire families.

“The mental health and well-being of new and expectant mothers must be protected,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Supporting maternal behavioral health is an important part of supporting women’s overall health and wellness. This $10 million investment in women’s behavioral health is just another example of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to improving women’s health in communities across the United States.”

“These grantees are the first recipients of this new funding that invests in women’s health and can invaluably impact the health of children and families nationwide,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “We look forward to achieving positive outcomes from this funding, such as expanded access to services and increased capacity for providers to identify and address behavioral health conditions in pregnant and postpartum women.”

These investments support the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis (PDF | 913 KB), the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health’s National Strategy to Improve Maternal Mental Health Care (PDF | 3.5 MB), HHS’ Overdose Prevention Strategy, and the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. They also support the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to tackle the mental health and opioid crises as part of the President’s Unity Agenda for the nation.

The Community-Based Maternal Behavioral Health Services Program will improve access to timely, culturally-relevant, evidence-based maternal mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Specifically, the program will strengthen community referral pathways and provide seamless transitions in care for pregnant and postpartum women who are at risk for or currently have a behavioral health condition, including mental health and substance use disorders, in the perinatal and postpartum periods.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential help 24/7 for women and their families before, during, and after pregnancy. Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA—counselors speak English and Spanish and interpreters can support over 60 languages.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug, or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).