Florida BH IMPACT - April Newsletter

View this email in your browser

Florida BH IMPACT aims to improve the identification and treatment of pregnant and postpartum patients who experience mental health and substance abuse disorders by expanding behavioral health screening and access to services for prenatal, pregnant, and postpartum women. The program promotes maternal and child health by building healthcare providers' capacity for addressing these critical issues through professional development, expert consultation and support, and dissemination of best practices.

Breastfeeding & Behavioral Health

The relationship between breastfeeding and perinatal mental health is complex, as there are sociocultural, physical, and psychological factors involved. Breastfeeding has many psychological benefits, including the release of oxytocin and the regulation of sleep and wake patterns for mother and baby. For mothers who are suffering from depression or anxiety, breastfeeding can be especially challenging. Depressed mothers often report lower breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeed less or for shorter time periods. Other times, difficulties with breastfeeding can have psychological consequences. Click here to read more about learn to work "with the mother in mind" when caring for perinatal mood disorders and breastfeeding. Providing positive engagement, education, and respect for their decisions best supports families during this time.

Check out the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc. for more resources.

The available COVID-19 vaccines are currently used under Emergency Use Authorization, and clinical trials did not include people who are lactating. There is currently no evidence that antibodies formed from COVID-19 vaccination cause any problems with pregnancy and non-replicating vaccines, like the authorized COVID-19 vaccines, are thought to pose no risk of infection for lactating individuals or their infants. Lactating people may choose to be vaccinated.

Click here to read more from the CDC on COVID-19 Vaccines for those who are Pregnant or Lactating.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine issued a Statement on the topic, discussing the risks and benefits of mRNA vaccines for lactating individuals and infants. Antibodies and T-cells stimulated by the vaccine may passively transfer to milk. Recent studies by Pace et al., Gray et al., Valcarce et al., and Perl et al. found that antibodies are present in milk. Click to read more.

CDC Resources

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding
The Role of Law & Policy to Reach Breastfeeding Goals in the United States
Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 During Pregnancy
COVID-19 and Breastfeeding Resources
Key Things to Know about COVID-19 Vaccines
Social Media Toolkit: COVID-19 & Mental Health

The American Rescue Plan Act aimed to deliver immediate economic relief to families. This bill included economic relief payments, expansion of the child tax credit, homeowners assistance fund, emergency rental assistance, and more.The American Rescue Plan Act also allows states to extend comprehensive Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum which is critical to address the health care needs of families and provides life-saving care.
Read more about Medicaid extension from ACOG and Mom Congress here.

Click here to read a summary from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act.

Provider Portal
Registration / Login
The provider portal has access to clinical and evidence-based behavioral health resources, training materials, and more!

Mother's Mental Health Toolkit
Mental health resources for mothers, families, and health care professionals.

FL Moms Mental Health
Resource Directory
Florida families and healthcare providers can use this site to search for services that align with their specific needs, preferred payment type, and geographic location.

Florida BH IMPACT Website

Click above to visit our website for more program information, resources, and provider-specific tools.

Learn about Florida BH IMPACT from our team, Dr. Heather Flynn, Dr. Amandla Shabaka-Haynes, and Dr. Kay Roussos-Ross.
Thank you to the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative for hosting and editing this video.

Florida BH IMPACT | FLBHimpact.org/

Forward

This publication was produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau under grant number UK3MC32242. This publication lists non-federal resources in order to provide additional information to consumers. The views and content in these resources have not been formally approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Listing these resources is not an endorsement by HHS or HRSA.