Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: Monday, May 6th 2024

Contact: Aly Boral, CPCQC Integrated Care Program Manager, aboral@cpcqc.org

IMproving Perinatal Access, Coordination, and Treatment Behavioral Health (IMPACT BH) Program to Enhance Perinatal Behavioral Health Services in Mesa, Montrose, and Eagle Counties

Mesa County, CO / Montrose County, CO / Eagle County, CO- The Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC) is proud to announce the launch of the IMPACT BH program in Mesa and Montrose Counties; and the continuation of IMPACT BH in Eagle County.

Mental health plays a central role in perinatal health. Unintentional overdoes and suicide accounted for 39% of pregnancy-associated deaths in Colorado from 2016 to 2020, according to the Colorado Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). In response, CPCQC launched the IMprove Perinatal Access, Coordination, and Treatment for Behavioral Health (IMPACT BH) program in partnership with the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration to serve the 1 in 7 people who are affected by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) and the many who struggle with perinatal substance use.

IMproving Perinatal Access, Coordination, and Treatment: Behavioral Health (IMPACT BH) helps communities strengthen and integrate their local perinatal mental health services. The program enhances a diversity of local perinatal navigation and peer support services; provides perinatal mental health and substance use training to local healthcare providers; and helps integrate local perinatal mental health services through improved coordination, communication, and trust. Collectively, IMPACT BH counties work to ensure that no local birthing person, mother, infant, or family falls through the cracks.

“CPCQC is excited to introduce the IMPACT BH program to Mesa and Montrose Counties; and continue the program in Eagle County ” says Kylie Hibshman, Director of Integrated Behavioral Health at CPCQC. ” Together with our partners, we’re working to ensure that perinatal people access safe, effective, and respectful care from conception through one year postpartum. We’re grateful for our current IMPACT BH partners and look forward to working alongside new partners in Mesa and Montrose Counties.”

The Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC) and the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) are seeking to fund the following partners in Mesa, Montrose, and/or Eagle counties for the upcoming grant period from July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025:

• Perinatal navigation providers: community-based organizations serving uninsured, under-insured, and/or Medicaid-eligible birthing people, mothers, infants, and families in their local communities. Perinatal navigation providers work to enhance a diversity of perinatal navigation services during the grant period. Navigation may be offered by a diversity of team members, including but not limited to: perinatal peer support providers (perinatal mental health and/or substance use), community health workers, home visitors, doulas, etc. Link to RFP and application here. 

• Community lead: community leads partner with CPCQC to promote communication, coordination, and trust across the local perinatal mental health continuum of care through collective action, shared learning, and local perinatal continuum of care working groups. Any interested entity and/or individual with demonstrated health equity community engagement experience may apply to become an IMPACT BH community lead. Link to RFP and application here. 

IMPACT BH offers perinatal mental health and substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) technical assistance to outpatient clinics through the Colorado University Practice Innovation Program (CU PIP). In addition, IMPACT BH offers perinatal substance use hospital quality improvement programming to birthing hospitals through CPCQC’s Colorado AIM: Substance Use Disorder (CO AIM: SUD) patient safety bundle and the Maternal Overdose Matters+ (MOMs+) programs. Interested outpatient clinics and birthing hospitals do not need to respond to the RFPs.

Interested partners are encouraged to respond to the above RFP. The RFPs are open from Monday, May 6, 2024 to Friday, May 24, 2024. All applications must be submitted by COB Friday, May 24 at 5:00 PM MT to be considered.

For more information about the IMPACT BH program and how to get involved, please review the linked FAQ document or contact Aly Boral, CPCQC Integrated Care Program Manager at aboral@cpcqc.org or visit www.cpcqc.org