West Virginia earns B- on maternal mental health report card

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The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership announced that West Virginia has earned a B- grade in the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health’s 2026 Maternal Mental Health Report Card, a significant achievement that reflects the state’s ongoing commitment to improving maternal mental health care and support for families.

The report card evaluates states on policies and programs that support maternal mental health, including screening, treatment access, provider training and insurance coverage. West Virginia’s B- grade places the state among national leaders in advancing maternal mental health initiatives and highlights the progress made through collaboration among health care providers, policymakers, community organizations and advocates.

This recognition is especially meaningful as maternal mental health conditions remain among the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth.

In 2023, West Virginia received a D- on the Maternal Mental Health Report Card. That year, the Partnership received funding from the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Program.

Amy Tolliver, executive director of the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership, said, “This funding enabled us to initiate a long-overdue statewide initiative to tackle perinatal mental health conditions among our population. According to the Alliance for Innovation for Maternal Health (AIM) data, 1 in 4 women who have given birth in WV also have a perinatal mental health condition present. Since receiving the grant, we have been able to create a statewide multidisciplinary Maternal Mental Health Advisory Council (MMHAC) with five committees, sponsor over 200 full scholarships for maternal mental health trainings through Postpartum Support International (PSI), and add over 30 perinatal mental health certified providers to our state.”

The Perinatal Partnership recently launched West Virginia’s first Perinatal Psychiatric Access Program. The program is designed to support frontline health care providers to build capacity to treat perinatal psychiatric disorders during pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum.

Through real-time consultations and telehealth services, obstetricians, gynecologists and other primary care providers have access to a perinatal psychiatrist for diagnostic and treatment guidance for their patients.

Dr. Emily Boothe, psychiatrist and medical director of WV PPAP, said, “The program provides frontline healthcare providers with rapid access to expert diagnostic and treatment guidance, which in turn helps patients receive timely, evidence-based care. By reducing the reliance on a lengthy mental health referral process and connecting patients to appropriate care more quickly, WV PPAP ensures pregnant and postpartum individuals can access mental health care when they need it the most.”

The report card underscores the importance of continuing efforts to strengthen maternal mental health services, expand access to care and address barriers that families may face. Through ongoing education, advocacy and collaboration, the Perinatal Partnership aims to build on this momentum and further improve outcomes for mothers, infants and families across West Virginia.

For more information about the Perinatal Partnership and its programs, visit wvperinatal.org. To see the report card, visit policycentermmh.org/state-report-cards.