Maternal health platform announces partnership to tackle poor mental health

The US maternal health platform Mother Goose has announced a partnership with the online psychiatric care platform SohoMD in an effort to tackle poor perinatal mental health.

Nearly one in five women in the US will experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year after the birth, with higher rates experienced by mothers of low socio-economic status or of racial-ethnic minority.

Among those with perinatal mental health conditions, 20 per cent will experience suicidal thoughts or undertake acts of self-harm. Furthermore, maternal depression during pregnancy has been associated with preterm births, stillbirths, low birth weight and maternal morbidity including perinatal complications, increased operative delivery, and postpartum depression.

Through the partnership with SohoMD, a mental health platform focused on psychiatry and trauma-informed therapy, Mother Goose aims to integrate mental health services within the maternity care pathway, providing women with treatment they would otherwise struggle to access.

The company says the unification of the fragmented maternity care system aims to address disproportionate risk, care gaps and social determinants to help to improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

“Poor perinatal mental health is a common pregnancy-related morbidity, particularly amongst underserved populations,” said Kenneth Levey, chief executive officer of Mother Goose.

“We are thrilled to partner with SohoMD to enable access to their unique mental health platform so that we might provide holistic maternity care to all.

“By completing the circle of mental healthcare from assessment to treatment within a completely connected health management system, we can help to improve outcomes for previously overlooked patient groups and reduce healthcare expenditure in those areas the burden is highest.”

Dr Jacques Jospitre, chief executive officer and co-founder of SohoMD, said: “Even though mood and anxiety disorders are among the most common complications associated with pregnancy, including in the year following the birth, maternal mental health disorders are often underdiagnosed, under-treated, or go untreated completely.

“This partnership with Mother Goose, whose services are laser-focused on the needs of new parents, will help us close this gap between care and need and serve as a model for integrating mental health into a maternity care ecosystem.”