Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Grants $15,000 to Many Mothers to Expand Maternal Peer Support Program Addressing Behavioral Health
Media Contact: Caroline Zubieta, Caroline.Zubieta@MolinaHealthcare.com, 562-951-1588
Albuquerque, N.M., Sept. 18, 2024 – The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of New Mexico (“Molina”), has announced a $15,000 grant to Santa Fe-based Many Mothers to expand the organization’s maternal peer support program that promotes mental wellness among perinatal mothers. The series of support group sessions will integrate a perinatal support toolkit that focuses on acts of mindfulness and stress relief tactics. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in eight women experience postpartum depression, and data from the New Mexico Department of Health shows those instances are more prevalent when a mother is young, on Medicaid, and below the poverty level. Through this partnership, Molina and Many Mothers hope to improve behavioral health for mothers and their families.
“We are honored to continue supporting Many Mothers in their pivotal mission to support in home services and wraparound care to improve well-being for new mothers and their families,” said Carolyn Ingram, plan president for Molina Healthcare of New Mexico. “We have witnessed positive results from Molina’s previous grant that improves behavioral health outcomes for participating mothers, and we are committed to sharing best practices like these to help New Mexico mothers and their children during a most critical time in their lives.”
Working to establish healthy coping skills and manage mental wellness, the peer group for pregnant and postpartum birthing mothers will be facilitated by a trained professional and will be conducted over the course of eight weeks with sessions in person, online, or a hybrid model. The program will be offered in both Spanish and English, and childcare will be on-site to ensure that parents can be fully present during in-person sessions.
“We’re looking forward to our upcoming peer support group thanks to the funding from Molina,” said Kai Forsley, executive director of Many Mothers. “New Mexico ranks last out of all states in overall child well-being, a staggering statistic that we are hoping to address through this program. By ensuring mothers are taken care of, we can strengthen families.”
Support groups will incorporate shared practices from the clinically tested and proven SHIELDS for Families perinatal support participant toolkit, developed with funding from The MolinaCares Accord as part of the UCLA Health Equity Challenge cohort of 2022’s winning projects. The toolkit, which contains stress reduction tactics and exercises, has proven to improve participant stress levels and mood among mothers of color, with nearly 90% of participants seeing an improvement in their Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a scale that measures depression, score pre- and post- test.
About The MolinaCares Accord:
Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., The MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities. The MolinaCares Accord funds such measures through The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc.
About Molina Healthcare of New Mexico
Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Inc. provides government-funded, quality health care to members through Medicaid and health insurance marketplace programs throughout New Mexico. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
About Many Mothers:
Many Mothers provides in-home services and wraparound care to achieve health equity and wellbeing for babies and their caregivers in Northern New Mexico. For more information, visit ManyMothers.org.
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