Our National Network of Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs

In 2014, we developed the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms. This population-level, sustainable program has become a national model for perinatal mental health care and inspired federal and state-level funding for additional Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs across the US.

These Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs are now part of a growing multi-state peer network of programs. Our Network provides a platform to evaluate and innovate perinatal mental health services to improve outcomes for expectant and new parents, their children, and families.

At Lifeline for Moms, we are continuously working to improve the quality, impact, and durability of Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs throughout the country. And we can help you do the same in your own community.

What Is a Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program?

Perinatal Psychiatry Access Programs are population-based programs that aim to increase access to perinatal mental health care. Modeled after MCPAP for Moms, these programs build the capacity of medical professionals to address perinatal mental health and substance use disorders.

Untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are associated with negative outcomes for parents, children, and families and are estimated to cost $32,000 for every mother-child dyad. Access Programs strive to ensure patients receive timely and appropriate care, which has the potential to improve outcomes, and to save millions of dollars annually. MCPAP for Moms alone has enrolled more than 80 percent of Massachusetts’ obstetric practices and served over 11,500 patients for only approximately $1 per birth in Massachusetts per month.