Independent Therapist and Consultant private practice Burlington, Wisconsin, United States
Healthcare patients widely are being asked to establish with a primary care provider (PCP), also known as a medical home, which still has many barriers for perinatal services. As we are moving to a Whole Health model of care, it is important to consider that these medical homes also include mental health and social determinants of health. “Deaths from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period have declined by 38% in the last two decades, but at an average reduction of just under 3% per year, this pace of progress is far too slow. “ (World Health Organization, Maternal Child Health Impact statement). The aim of the poster is to provide the following: 1) understanding of the urgent need to integrate physical and mental health, as well as social determinants, that leads to truly whole health care, when addressing maternal child health initiatives (such a maternal death, infant death and maternal mental health) 2) meta-analysis of what is already being done in terms of identifying gaps in care for physical health, mental health and social determinants of health 3) Discuss details of why integrated care is so important to maternal child health field and data outcomes, especially around maternal death, infant death and maternal mental health). Focusing on one silo of care has the ability to produce impactful and effective outcomes. However, continuing to neglect the other parts of a patient’s life, will continue to show deficits in outcomes. Understanding a Whole Health Approach to maternal child health will help us better assess and treat a patient’s strengths and barriers for systemic, long-standing, systemic results.
