Virginia Maternal Mental Health Care Gets a Mixed Review
Commonwealth Shows Promise, But Significant Gaps Remain
Despite leading many states in resources, Virginia still faces challenges in ensuring adequate mental health support for new mothers, according to a recent report. Access to care remains uneven, particularly for those on Medicaid.
Report Card Reveals Areas for Improvement
A new assessment from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health awarded Virginia a “C” grade, mirroring the national average of “C” minus. Caitlin Murphy, a research scientist and consultant at the center, emphasized the need for continued progress within the Commonwealth.
Murphy explained that screening for maternal mental health disorders isn’t happening frequently enough. “Screening is really not occurring at the rate it needs to for maternal mental health disorders,”
she stated. “It’s estimated right now that about 50% of maternal mental health disorders are going undiagnosed. And also, unfortunately, even when screening is occurring, treatment is not occurring at the rates that it needs to.”
Nationally, only 16% of pregnant women on Medicaid and 9% with private insurance receive screenings. Postpartum screening rates are slightly higher, at 17% and 11% respectively. These low rates contribute to a significant public health concern; the CDC reports that approximately 1 in 7 women experience postpartum mood disorders.
Virginia’s Strengths and Opportunities
The Commonwealth performs well in terms of the availability of maternal mental health prescribers, like psychiatrists, relative to the number of women in the perinatal period. Virginia also offers a dedicated outpatient program for mothers experiencing mental health challenges, a feature not available in many states.
“Virginia does have a maternal mental health outpatient program for moms,”
—Caitlin Murphy, Research Scientist and Consultant
Murphy added that the state can receive credit if they’re making sure that either inpatient or outpatient treatment programs are available specifically for moms suffering from maternal mental health disorders.
However, she suggests expanding mandatory screenings to include all women covered by Medicaid to improve early detection and intervention.
The report revealed that nineteen states received failing grades, while only seven outperformed Virginia. Alarmingly, nearly half of all women experiencing postpartum depression remain undiagnosed, highlighting the urgent need for improved access to care and increased awareness.
