Perinatal Mental Health Learning Community

Maternal Mental Health in the Hospital Setting is a 55-minute course that provides education about features and prevalence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, screening approaches that can be done in the hospital, and effective follow up through referrals and resources. The course is available in two formats:

• As a YouTube link to the course content, available here (Note that playback begins with the first module, but you can select subsequent modules from the right navigation panel.)
• As a SCORM file for upload to your organization’s own Learning Management System.  Click below for details.

The online training course “Maternal Mental Health in the Hospital Setting – What to Know & How to Screen” has been converted into a SCORM file that can be uploaded into an organization’s existing Learning Management System (LMS). 

SCORM, which stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model, is a set of technical standards for eLearning software products.  SCORM is the de facto industry standard for eLearning interoperability, which means it is the universal language for all Learning Management Systems.  In other words, it does not matter which Learning Management System your institution uses; it should be able to read and upload this SCORM file.

To import a SCORM course into your LMS:

1. Download the SCORM file by clicking here. (Note: It appears as a zip file.  You will need a SCORM compliant authoring software installed on your computer in order to open or read the file.)
2. Upload the SCORM zip file, via your browser or LMS administrator UI.
3. Your LMS will then attempt to find the manifest file and import its contents, preparing it for use by learners. A good LMS will attempt to validate the manifest and flag potential issues.

In case you encounter problems uploading the SCORM file to your LMS, a company called KOGN8 is available to help.  They have offered a reduced hourly rate of $150 to hospitals associated with the Perinatal Mental Health Learning Community to troubleshoot SCORM uploading issues.  To inquire further, please contact:

Michael Coffin
Founder
KOGN8
(805) 712-1245
mc@kogn8.com

Theresa Wheat
Partner, Business Development
KOGN8 
(727) 743-6152
theresa@kogn8.com

Remember, the full course content is also available as a serie

Quick Reference Guide to Maternal Mental Health in the Hospital Setting​ is an accompaniment for the online training course, to be used as a handy reference to the concepts and practices covered in the course.

To access the guide, click here: guide.mmhnow.org

Speak Up When You’re Down is a brochure in four languages that hospitals can use to share information with patients and families about maternal mental health conditions and available resources.  The brochure can be used as-is or edited with hospital-specific additional information about local resources.  It prints as a legal-size (8.5” x 14”) accordion-fold brochure.

To use as-is (unaltered), simply print a PDF file for a desired language:

• English
• Spanish
• Chinese
• Vietnamese

To edit with hospital-specific information, download an InDesign file and an accompanying PDF file with instructions for customizing and printing.

• Click here to download the InDesign file. (You must have access to the InDesign application on your computer in order to download this file.)
• Click here to download instructions for customizing and printing.

Emotional Wellness Self-Help Tool is a free web-based app that hospitals can share with patients and families.  It is a resource to help expecting or new mothers and their support systems get informed about perinatal depression and anxiety, and get prepared to successfully manage these conditions if needed.  

• To access the app, click here: mycare.mmhnow.org

Checklist for Bereavement Services (Emanate Health)

Checklist for Helping Patients with a Miscarriage (Emanate Health)

Community Resources List (Dignity Health, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital)

Community Resources List (Dignity Health, Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz)

Community Resources List (Dignity Health, St Elizabeth’s, Red Bluff)

Inpatient Perinatal Psychiatric Unit (El Camino Health)

Patient Brochure – Maternal Health and Grief (fetal demise) (Dignity Health)

Patient Brochure – Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (Sharp Mary Birch Hospital)

Patient Brochure – Pregnancy & Postpartum Resource Guide (Marshall Medical Center)

Patient Brochure – Speak Up When You are Down (depression) (Dignity Health)

Patient Flyer – Counseling via Telehealth – North State (Dignity Health)

Patient Flyer – Dadvice Virtual Support Group for Dads (Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center)

Patient Flyer – Maternal Mental Health Support, English (Adventist Health Bakersfield)

Patient Flyer – Maternal Mental Health Support, Spanish (Adventist Health Bakersfield)

Patient Fridge Magnet – Resource Guide (Dignity Health, Mercy Medical Center Redding)

Patient Poster – Depression and Anxiety (Dignity Health)

Provider Flyer – Free Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Service (Dignity Health)

Screening – EPDS Policy and Procedure (Emanate Health)

Screening – EPDS Referral Algorithm (Dignity Health)

Screening – EPDS Referral Algorithm (Valley Presbyterian Hospital)

Screening FAQs for Staff (Dignity Health)

Screening Protocol Example (Sierra Vista Regional)

Toolkit to help providers screen and connect patients to resources (Orange County)

Below are various documents, templates and other materials that member hospitals have generously shared for the benefit of the Learning Community.

• Adventist Health
  • Patient Flyer – Maternal Mental Health Support, English (Adventist Health Bakersfield)Patient Flyer – Maternal Mental Health Support, Spanish (Adventist Health Bakersfield)
• Dignity Health/CommonSpirit Health
  • Community Resources List (Bakersfield Memorial Hospital)Community Resources List (Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz)Community Resources List (St Elizabeth’s, Red Bluff)Patient Brochure – Maternal Health and Grief (fetal demise)Patient Brochure – Speak Up When You are Down (depression)Patient Flyer – Counseling via Telehealth – North StatePatient Fridge Magnet – Resource Guide (Mercy Medical Center Redding)Patient Poster – Depression and Anxiety
  • Provider Flyer – Free Perinatal Psychiatry Consultation Service
  • Screening – EPDS Referral AlgorithmScreening FAQs for Staff
• El Camino Health
  • ​Inpatient Perinatal Psychiatric Unit (El Camino Health)
• Emanate Health
  • ​Checklist for Bereavement Services
  • Checklist for Helping Patients with a Miscarriage
  • Screening – EPDS Policy and Procedure
• Marshall Medical Center​
  • Patient Brochure – Pregnancy & Postpartum Resource Guide
• Orange County
  • ​Toolkit to help providers screen and connect patients to resources
• Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center
  • Dadvice Virtual Support Group for Dads​
• Sharp Healthcare
  • ​Patient Brochure – Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (Sharp Mary Birch Hospital)
• Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center
  • Screening protocol example
• Valley Presbyterian Hos
  • ​Screening – EPDS Referral Algorithm

AB 3032 is a California law that starting on January 1, 2020 requires all birthing hospitals to:

• Provide education and information about maternal mental health conditions to all regular staff in labor and delivery departments, and
• Provide education and information to postpartum people and their families about maternal mental health conditions, post-hospital treatment options, and community resources.

• Through the PMH Learning Community, California hospitals receive education, technical assistance and peer support to strengthen approaches to mental health in the perinatal period.  To participate, hospitals are asked to identify a lead staff person who will coordinate implementation and act as a key point of contact, complete a short “baseline” survey and commit to completing a “post-program” survey.
• Once enrolled, hospitals are free to select among the program components based on their specific needs and readiness level.  However, for maximum benefit, consistent participation is encouraged.
• Hospitals are also encouraged to identify executive sponsors and form interdisciplinary project teams that can help facilitate implementation and remove obstacles.
• It is not too late to come on board.  To join the program, click on the “Enroll” tab on the PMH Learning Community website.

• Webinars occur every two months and feature faculty experts addressing topics of importance to hospitals and their staff, such as recognizing the signs and symptoms of perinatal mental health disorders, implementing staff training and patient education, best practices for screening, how to make referrals and partner with community resources, and others.
• Group Office Hours are scheduled in the alternate months between the webinars.  They are virtual opportunities for hospital participants to receive practical implementation advice and engage in peer-to-peer exchange about the topics covered in the webinars.

Slides and recordings of past webinars and group office hours are available on the website.

The following resources are available free of charge to staff and providers who work in California Hospitals participating in the Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Learning Community.

• Maternal Mental Health in the Hospital Setting is a 55-minute online course that provides education about features and prevalence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, screening approaches that can be done in the hospital, and effective follow up through referrals and resources.
• Quick Reference Guide to Maternal Mental Health in the Hospital Setting is an accompaniment for the online course, to be used as a handy reference to the concepts and practices covered in the course.
• Speak Up When You’re Down is a downloadable brochure in four languages that hospitals can use to share information with patients and families about maternal mental health conditions and available resources.  The brochure can be used as-is or edited with hospital-specific additional information about local resources. This is a great resource for other family members (e.g. grandparents) and friends, as well.  It prints as a legal-size (8.5” x 14”) accordion-fold brochure.
• Emotional Wellness Self-Help Tool is a free web-based app that hospitals can share with patients and families.  It is a resource to help expecting or new mothers and their support systems get informed about perinatal depression and anxiety, and get prepared to successfully manage these conditions if needed.

To access these resources, click on the “Online Resources for Hospitals” tab on the websit

• Hospitals can simply share the course URL with their perinatal staff. 
• Hospital units may also choose to convene staff in groups and conduct the training all together, projecting the modules onto a larger screen, and allowing for questions and discussion.

• Once a learner clicks on the URL to access the online training course, he/she will be guided through a few short fields to register as a user, and may then proceed to complete the course by clicking the play button on each successive video module. 
• It is recommended that the entire course (10 modules-55 minutes total) be completed at once, but, if needed, the learner can exit the course and enter it again at a later time.  The modules are followed by a brief knowledge test and course evaluation.

• Yes, 1 CE unit for nursing is awarded upon completion of the online course, the evaluation, and the post test.
• If employees are taking the course as a group, the system cannot verify and provide the 1 CE unit for each participant, but an individual hospital may choose to approve the content using their own Provider Number.

• Upon course completion the learner will be directed to a knowledge test and course evaluation, after which the certificate of completion can be immediately saved and printed out.
• The certificate will also show 1 contact hour earned of continuing education for nurses.
• Hospitals can request reports on course completion by their staff.

HQI’s PMH Learning Community is funded by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) and all the materials have been created through a partnership with subject matter experts at Maternal Mental Health Now and at Dignity Health. During the design phase, and continuing forward in the implementation phase, additional clinicians and stakeholder organizations are contributing input and sharing resources. 

Yes!  Although the majority of birthing hospitals in California are already on board, any additional hospital is welcome to join the PMH Learning Community at any time during the two-year program period through the end of 2021.