Perinatal Mental Health Learning Community

The Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Learning Community was HQI’s initiative to provide California hospitals with education, technical assistance, and peer support to strengthen perinatal mental health.  The program concluded in December 2021.  However, key resources developed remain on this website for ongoing free use by hospitals, as needed.  Any questions regarding the resources on this web page can be directed to Boris Kalanj, HQI’s Director of Programs, at bkalanj@hqinstitute.org.

November 18, 2021 – Fathers and Partners and Perinatal Mental Health

Recording

Slides

October 21, 2021 – Breastfeeding and Perinatal Mental Health

Recording

Slides

August 19, 2021 – Child Abuse Reporting and Perinatal Mental Health

Recording

Slides

June 17, 2021 – Substance Use Disorders and Perinatal Mental Health

Recording

Slides

April 15, 2021 – Birth Trauma and Perinatal Mental Health

Recording

Slides

February 18, 2021 – Supporting NICU Families

Recording

Slides

December 17, 2020 –  Supporting Patients with Perinatal Loss​

Recording

Slides

October 15, 2020 –  Disparities in Perinatal Mental Health Care​

Slides

August 20, 2020 –  Developing Referrals and Community Resources​

Recording

Slides

June 18, 2020 –  Hospital Approaches to Staff Training and Patient Education

Slides

April 2020 – The Impact of COVID-19 on Maternal Mental Health & Introducing New Training Resources for Hospitals

Slides

February 2020 – A Hospital’s Role in Supporting Maternal Mental Health

Recording

Slides

January 2020 – Introductory Webinar

Recording

Slides

  • Virtual opportunity for hospital participants to receive practical implementation advice from program faculty and experienced peers. Office hours are held in the alternate months between webinars. 
  • September 16, 2021 Group Office Hours​
  • July 15, 2021 Group Office Hours​
  • May 20, 2021 Group Office Hours​
  • March 18, 2021 Group Office Hours​
  • January 21, 2021 Group Office Hours​
  • November 19, 2020 Group Office Hours
  • September 17, 2020 Group Office Hours
  • July 16, 2020 Group Office Hours
  • May 21, 2020 Group Office Hours
  • March 19, 2020 Group Office Hours

The virtual Capstone Event rounded out our learnings and celebrated the achievements of California hospitals in advancing maternal mental health. 

  • For event recording, click here.
    • Timing of key event sessions:
      • 13:45  Review of Learnings
      • 1:01:15  Hospital Panel (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Marshall Medical Center & Scripps Health)
      • 1:51:30  Personal Story: Sarah Nevison
      • 2:48:28  Keynote: Psychopharmacology and Perinatal Mental Health (Miriam Schultz, MD)
      • 3:43:53  Celebration & Recognition
      • 3:51:25  Resources for Continued Learning
  • For slides, click here.

Online Resources for Hospitals

Hospitals are invited to use the following resources, developed for our PMH Learning Community to assist with implementing the provisions of AB 3032 and strengthen hospital approaches to perinatal mental health.  These resources are available free of charge.

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:

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

Peer Sharing

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.

Participating Hospitals

For a map of all enrolled hospitals, click here.

Enrolled hospitals in alphabetical order:

Adventist Health and Rideout

Adventist Health Bakersfield

Adventist Health Glendale

Adventist Health Hanford

Adventist Health Lodi Memorial

Adventist Health Simi Valley

Adventist Health Tulare

Adventist Health Ukiah Valley

Adventist Health White Memorial

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

Anaheim Global Medical Center

Anaheim Regional Medical Center

Antelope Valley Hospital

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Barstow Community Hospital

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Centinela Hospital Medical Center

Clovis Community Medical Center

Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno)

Contra Costa Regional Medical Center

Corona Regional Medical Center

Cottage Health System

CPMC – Mission Bernal

Desert Regional Medical Center

Desert Valley Hospital

Doctors Hospital of Riverside/Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center

Doctors Medical Center (Modesto)

Dominican Hospital

East LA Doctors Hospital

Eisenhower Medical Center

El Centro Regional Medical Center

Emanuel Medical Center

Enloe Medical Center

Fairchild Medical Center

Fountain Valley Regional Hospital

Garfield Medical Center

Glendale Memorial Hospital

Good Samaritan Hospital (Bakersfield)

Greater ElMonte Community Hospital

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital

Hemet Valley Medical Center

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital

Hi Desert Medical Center

Highland Hospital

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

Huntington Hospital

John Muir Health – Concord hospital

John Muir Health – Walnut Creek hospital

Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Orange County – Irvine Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center

Kaiser Permanente The Permanente Medical Group

Kern Medical Center

Lompoc Valley Medical Center

Madera Community Hospital

Marian Regional Medical Center

Marshall Medical Center

Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital

Mee Memorial Hospital

Memorial Hospital Los Banos

Memorial Hospital of Gardena

Memorial Medical Center (Modesto)

MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center

Mercy General Hospital

Mercy Hospital of Folsom

Mercy Medical Center (Merced)

Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta

Mercy San Juan Medical  Center

Methodist Hospital of Southern California

Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach

Mills-Peninsula Medical Center

Monterey Park Hospital

Natividad Medical Center

NorthBay Healthcare

Northern Inyo Hospital

Northridge Hospital

Olive View – UCLA Medical Center

Orange County Global Medical Center

Palomar Health- Escondido campus

Palomar Health- Poway campus

PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital

PIH Health Hospital-Whittier

Plumas District Hospital

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center

Queen Of the Valley Medical Center (Napa)

Queen of the Valley Medical Center (West Covina)

Rady Children’s Hospital

Redlands Community Hospital

Regional Medical Center of San Jose

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital

Riverside Community Hospital

Riverside University Health System – Medical Center

Saddleback Medical Center

Saint Agnes Medical Center

Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital

San Antonio Regional Hospital

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center

San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital

San Joaquin General Hospital

San Ramon Regional Medical Center

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Scripps Memorial Hospital- Encinitas

Scripps Memorial Hospital- La Jolla

Scripps Mercy Chula Vista

Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego

Sharp Grossmont Hospital

Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns

Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital

Sierra View Medical Center

Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center

South Coast Global Medical Center

St Louise Regional Hospital

St. Bernardine Medical Center

St. Elizabeth Community Hospital

St. Francis Medical Center

St. Joseph’s Medical Center (Stockton)

St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley)

Stanford Health Care ValleyCare Hospital

Stanford Health Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital 

Sutter Amador Hospital

Sutter Coast Hospital

Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center (Santa Cruz)

Sutter Roseville Medical Center

Sutter Solano Medical Center

Torrance Memorial Medical Center

Twin Cities Community Hospital

UCDavis Medical Center

UC Irvine

UCLA Health System

UCLA Resnick Neurophsychiatric Hospital

UCSF Health & Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital

Valley Presbyterian Hospital

Victor Valley Global Medical Center

Watsonville Community Hospital

Whittier Hospital Medical Center

Woodland Memorial Hospital

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center

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.

Case Studies

The following three case studies showcase hospitals that have demonstrated exemplary levels of maternal mental health integration, achieved through committed leadership and purposeful action.