Support Perinatal Mental Health by Collaborating with Tribal Communities in Montana

Staff at Healthy Mothers, Healthy BabiesThe Montana Coalition (HMHB) authored an article that was featured in the April issue of Health Affairs on Perinatal Mental Health and Wellbeing.

“A Strategy to Support Perinatal Mental Health by Collaborating with Tribal Communities in Montana” was co-authored by Dr. Amy Stiffarm, PhD, MPH, Director of Native American Initiatives at HMHB; Stephanie Morton, MSW, Executive Director; Dawn Gunderson, CLC, Program and Communications Coordinator; as well as former Executive Director, Brie MacLaurin.

The article highlights work completed to include family-supporting resources on reservations in Montana into the LIFTS Online Resource Guide (www.hmhb-lifts.org). This project was completed in partnership with

HMHB and Dr. Amy Stiffarm while she was a graduate student at the University of North Dakota in the Indigenous Health Program. Funding from the Montana Obstetrics and Maternal Support (MOMS) Program made it possible for the HMHB team to engage tribal communities in the process of mapping local resources relevant to pregnant and parenting families to be listed in the LIFTS Resource Guide.

“This article stresses the importance of recognizing and leveraging the strengths within tribal communities to address perinatal mental health inequities,” said Dr. Stiffarm. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with HMHB on this and the positive impact these projects can have for the perinatal mental health field broadly.” She emphasizes that “failure to incorporate traditional knowledge and cultural strengths in addressing perinatal mental health is a health equity issue and a barrier for Indigenous women and birthing people to accessing care.”

Stephanie Morton, Executive Director of HMHB, expressed her enthusiasm for Dr. Stiffarm’s work. “We are incredibly proud to have Amy as part of our team. Her dedication and expertise are invaluable in our efforts to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Montana. Amy is working to broaden the understanding that, in order to achieve successful work with tribal communities, providers must acknowledge tribal strengths and expertise.

To view the article, visit www.healthaffairs.org/ doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01449.

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies – The Montana Coalition is a Montana-based 501(c )3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health, safety and well-being of Montana families by supporting mothers and babies, age 0 to 3. By connecting with family service providers, policy makers, local coalitions and families, HMHB strives to ensure that there is a safe and healthy beginning for all babies in Montana.