CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Department of Human Services is highlighting the findings from the state’s first comprehensive needs assessment examining perinatal mental health and substance use disorder services.
The assessment was conducted by the Marshall University Center of Excellence for Recovery in collaboration with West Virginia Perinatal Partnership. The agency’s Bureau for Behavioral Health supported the assessment through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder grant.
The assessment surveyed 154 healthcare providers and 131 perinatal individuals, offering insight into current screening and referral practices while identifying opportunities to improve consistency, access to care and provider capacity. Findings also highlighted differences in how providers and patients perceive barriers to care, underscoring the importance of aligning services with the needs of West Virginia families.
Building on these findings, BBH and its partners are advancing targeted efforts through the federally funded MMHSUD grant to expand access to care and strengthen provider capacity.
“As we learn more about the gaps in perinatal behavioral health, both for healthcare providers and for perinatal mothers, including expectant and postpartum mothers, we can take meaningful steps to enhance our perinatal behavioral health services in West Virginia,” said Elizabeth Hardy, DoHS commissioner of the Bureau for Behavioral Health. “This assessment is helping guide targeted efforts to improve access, support providers, and ensure families receive the care they need at the right time.”
As part of these efforts, more than 120 scholarships have been awarded to providers and paraprofessionals to complete Postpartum Support International’s Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care training. Additional scholarships have supported healthcare providers’ participation in the Perinatal Mental Health Certification Exam, increasing the number of certified perinatal mental health professionals in West Virginia from five to 27.
Training and outreach efforts will continue as the state works to build a more coordinated and accessible system of care for perinatal individuals and families.
For more information, visit dohs.wv.gov.
