Georgia DPH Maternal Mortality and Reproductive Mental Health Learning Opportunities

By Fay Fulton

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has announced two monthly opportunities for family physicians to participate in continuing education addressing key factors related to maternal mortality in our state.

The first is Maternal Health ECHO, a monthly virtual session for provider and community education recommended by the Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Key recommendations from MMRC for 2018-2020 included: better coordination of communication between facilities to enhance plan of care, management of chronic conditions- including mental health, and community/family/provider education on danger signs and symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum. Maternal Health ECHO sessions are held virtually the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Attendees for the live session are eligible for 1.0 CME credits. The 2023 Curriculum can be viewed here. Past session recordings are also available on the homepage. We would be grateful for any case studies or topics of interest from Georgia AFP Physicians!

Launching in March 2023 is a targeted Reproductive Mental Health ECHO project led by Dr. Toby Goldsmith & Dr. Rebecca Woo with PEACE for Moms (P4M) at Emory University. P4M proudly connects Georgia health care professionals with psychiatrists who specialize in perinatal mental health and can provide consultation for medication management. The goal of this consultation service is to expand access to high-quality mental health care and increase physician support/resources for practice. 

The Reproductive Mental Health ECHO project will consist of small group sessions to focus on treatment for common mental health conditions:

  1. 3/16/23 – Ten High-Yield Considerations in Perinatal Mental Health
  2. 4/20/23 – Depression
  3. 5/18/23 – Anxiety (Generalized and Panic)
  4. 6/15/23 – Bipolar Disorder
  5. 7/20/23 – Psychosis
  6. 8/17/23 – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Birth Trauma
  7. 9/21/23 – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  8. 10/19/23 – Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Registration for the Reproductive Mental Health ECHO project learning series can be found HERE.