Name
Poster 21 - Empowering Maternal Mental Health in the Rio Grande Valley: The UTRGV Maternal Mental Health Center
Description

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Maternal Health Research Center INTRODUCTION Pregnancy and the postpartum windows are critical life transitions for women that can be leveraged to prevent maternal health disparities. Obstetrics and gynecology patients commonly present with chronic pain, substance abuse, obesity, and/or concerns about intimate partner violence. Many of these conditions are co-morbid. Hispanic women living in the US-MX border region disproportionately experience structural determinants and conditions (e.g., poverty, low socioeconomic status, lack of access to health care) associated with shorter life expectancy and adverse health outcomes across the life course. These structural determinants lead to a higher prevalence of chronic, mental, infectious disease and persistent health disparities in border populations. Place-based stressors such as poverty and/or poor housing along with psychosocial risks such as depression work synergistically and are important drivers of health disparities in our border region. These psychosocial and behavioral risks in Hispanic women require a multi-level and systemic approach to address. We aim to establish a maternal health research center at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), the second largest Hispanic serving institute in the US. The goals and objectives of the UTRGV Maternal Health Research Center (MHRC) follow. Goal 1: The UTRGV MHRC will plan and implement maternal health research studies to inform relevant, culturally appropriate and peer led interventions to address health disparities in our region and beyond. Goal 2: Increase the capacity for maternal health disparity research at UTRGV. Goal 3: Develop manuscripts to be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Goal 4: Disseminate and translate research findings into practice.

Date & Time
Friday, October 25, 2024, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Team-based care
Session Type
Poster
Location Name
Lone Star Ballroom
Objective 1
Identify key structural determinants and conditions contributing to maternal health disparities among Hispanic women in the US-MX border region.
Objective 2
Describe community-engaged approaches used to assess the needs of women during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Objective 3
Discuss the implementation of peer-led integrated behavioral health interventions aimed at increasing psychological flexibility among pregnant women
Content Reference 1
Baeva S, Archer NP, Ruggiero K, et al. Maternal mortality in Texas. Am J Perinatol. 2017;34(6):614- 620. Accessed Jun 8, 2023. doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1595809.
Content Reference 2
Blackmore R, Boyle JA, Gray KM, Willey S, Highet N, Gibson-Helm M. Introducing and integrating perinatal mental health screening: Development of an equity-informed evidence-based approach. Health Expect. 2022;25(5):2287-2298.
Content Reference 3
Boldt, Richard C., and Eleanor T. Chung. Community health workers and behavioral health care. J. Health Care L. & Pol'y. 2020;23(1).
Content Reference 4
Lutenbacher, Melanie, Elkins, Tonya, Dietrich Mary S. and Riggs Anais. The efficacy of using peer mentors to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Hispanic families: Findings from a randomized clinical trial. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2018;22:92-104.
Content Reference 5
Kangovi, Shreya, Mitra Nandita, Grande David, Long Judith A., Asch, David A. Evidence-based community health worker program addresses unmet social needs and generates positive return on investment. Health Affairs. 2020;39(2). https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00981.