WASHINGTON (September 29, 2026) — The Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health is proud to be a founding national member of the recently launched National Maternal Mental Health Accelerator. This cross-sector initiative, which is spearheaded by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, unites more than 100 national, state, and local organizations working to improve maternal mental health care across the United States. It focuses on four pillars:
Providers Trained and Care Deserts Erased to improve diagnostics, early identification, and treatment pathways, since access to maternity and mental health care is the baseline.
Postpartum Care Expanded by maternity care providers, ending the six-week postpartum care “cliff,” because women deserve to be treated by their own maternal health providers throughout 12 months postpartum.
Paid Leave for All to allow women to heal and care for their babies, and others to care for them when mental health conditions strike.
Providing no- to low-cost care, so affordability is not a barrier to appropriate interventions and treatment.
"We are delighted to join and excited about the Accelerator’s focus on policy and expanding access to affordable and quality postpartum care," said Anne Markus, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management and Acting Director of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. "This aligns with our institute’s ongoing efforts, including our Expert Panel work on Medicaid managed care."
Read more in this news release and the Accelerator website.