Tuesday, April 1, 2025
4/1/2025
LCSC Maternal Behavioral Health - The Healthy Minds for Moms Project will improve access to culturally relevant, evidence-based behavioral health and substance use care for pregnant and postpartum individuals in the Orthodox Jewish community of Lakewood, NJ, addressing critical gaps through comprehensive screening, referral, treatment, and support services. The project targets perinatal individuals within the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, New Jersey, a population recognized under Executive Order 13985 as a historically underserved and under-resourced minority group. The project aims to serve individuals at risk for or experiencing perinatal behavioral health (BH) conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs). The program will particularly focus on Medicaid recipients, low-income families, and those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing unique cultural and socioeconomic barriers to care. Strategies and Interventions: The Healthy Minds for Moms Project will implement a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to improve access to culturally competent BH and SUD services for the target population. Key strategies include establishing a dedicated Behavioral Health Team (BHT) composed of a licensed therapist, peer support worker, perinatal psychiatrist/addiction medicine specialist, and a care manager. The BHT will conduct screenings, assessments, and referrals, provide short-term consultation and treatment for those unable to access immediate care, and offer ongoing case management and peer support. The project will develop referral pathways with local healthcare providers, implement a training program for partner organizations, and engage the community through targeted outreach to build strong referral networks. Project also includes training and anti-stigma efforts geared at overcoming the widespread cultural reluctance to seek help, and significant expansion of available culturally competent screening, assessment, and treatment of perinatal and post-partum individuals with BH and SU use challenges. Through this funding, we will achieve 3 main goals, via implementation of measurable objectives, with highlights as follows: Project Goals and Objectives: Goal 1) Increase access to evidence-based, timely, and culturally relevant maternal mental health and substance use intervention and treatment via provision of outreach, training, MOU establishment, and hiring across 5 OB GYN, 3 pediatric providers, 2 hospitals, and 3 behavioral health and substance use providers. Our Goal 1 deliverables also include hiring of a perinatal psychiatrist with addiction expertise; Goal 2) Improve behavioral health related outcomes for our population of focus by ensuring at least 90% of service referrals are accepted, and provision of POF specific treatment, case management, and recovery support. We anticipate these efforts will lead to a statistically significant reduction in the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms across our service receiving population. Goal 3) Enhance capacity of our regional workforce to address specialized needs of our POF through provision of training to 10 community providers. Training content includes trauma-informed care tailored to the unique cultural/religious practices of the Orthodox Jewish POF, screening and assessment of maternal BH risks associated with pregnancy and birth, postpartum complications for mother or child, and improving care disparities in under-resourced communities. Number of People to be Served: The Healthy Minds for Moms Project aims to serve approximately 500 perinatal individuals over the grant period, with a focus on those who are most at risk within the Orthodox Jewish community. The project will indirectly impact hundreds of family members and caregivers through improved access to care and enhanced community support. This project will create a sustainable model of integrated BH and perinatal care that addresses critical service gaps and improves the well-being of perinatal individuals in Lakewood.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).