All Moms’ Mental Health Matters: Optimizing Perinatal Health

All Moms’ Mental Health Matters: Optimizing Perinatal Health

Monday, May 10 2021

2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT

As part of May is Mental Health Month activities, MHA will highlight why the mental health of expecting and new moms is important to the rest of the family and community and how you can advocate on this issue with Congress and your Governor’s office. Jamie Zahlaway Belsito, Policy Director and Founder of the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA), and MMHLA Board Member Amy Stiffarm, tribal maternal mental Health expert, will help participants understand why the health of all mothers’ matters, the special needs of BIPOC mothers, and why now is the time for advocacy.

Meet the presenters:

Jamie Zahlaway Belsito is MMHLA’s federal policy director and founder. A Boston native, Jamie is a former Commissioner on the (MA) Ellen Story Special Commission on Postpartum Depression, a trustee at her alma mater, Salem State University and a board member of the Massachusetts March of Dimes. As the former Advocacy Chair for the National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health, Jamie led a grassroots movement engaging mothers and families across the United States to help pass the Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act in 2016, the first-ever federal legislation addressing maternal mental health. Jamie is a former candidate for United States congress, where she used her platform to focus on the health and wellness of women, children and families. She is committed to keeping maternal mental health a focal point in our nation’s policy, centering communities of need at the heart of access and funding.

Amy Stiffarm is Aaniiih of the Fort Belknap Indian Community and also descends from the Cree and Blackfeet people of Montana. She currently resides on the lands of the Kootenai, Bitterroot Salish, and Pend O'rielle people on what is now known as the Flathead Reservation. She is the mother to two daughters, Tahmya who is 7, and Kisiah who is 4. She is a survivor of maternal depression and anxiety issues and is devoted to using her education to understand more about these issues and help heal communities Amy has been involved in research with Tribal communities since her undergrad degree at Salish Kootenai College and found her passion for maternal and child health during her MPH at the University of Montana. She is currently working as a Research Assistant while pursuing a PhD in Indigenous Health through the University of North Dakota where she is focusing on Maternal Mental Health from an Indigenous perspective. In her spare time, Amy likes to run and write to guide her in her healing journey.

Placement

Webinar