Racial and ethnic disparities in access to community-based perinatal mental health programs: results from a cross-sectional survey

Table 1 Characteristics of community perinatal mental health programs in New Jersey (n = 33)

Characteristic	Percent of programs choosing option (%)
Purpose of program
New mothers support group	61
Perinatal depression support group	40
Parent Education	39
One-on-one counseling	21
Urgent mental health/mental health crisis	9
Crisis pregnancy	6
Drug, alcohol, or substance support	6
Other (e.g. Doula support, referrals)¹	42
Target participants
Postpartum women	94
Pregnant women	70
Parents	52
Teens	12
Children	12
Other (e.g. partner, provider)²	18
Length of participant involvement in program
Repeating multiple sessions	58
Drop-in sessions	42
One-time, with referral	18
One-time, no referrals	15
Other³	27
Type of Facilitator
Mental health professional	58
Other professional (e.g. RN, APN, MSW)⁴	61
Peer	30
Other⁵	12
Format of program
Virtual	82
Phone	42
In-Person	42
Text	24
Other (e.g. Facebook, Email)⁶	9
Language options available
English	91
Spanish	36
Chinese (Mandarin)	6
Portuguese	12
Interpreter services	18
Other (e.g. Creole, French)⁷	3
Cost of program
Free	70
One-time fee	3
Recurring fee	9
Other (e.g. Various fees, sliding scale, insurance)⁸	18
Type of program
Non-profit based	61
Hospital based	39

Notes: Survey questions allowed for multiple responses so percentages do not add up to 100%. ¹For the purposes(s) of program, other responses included: Emotional Health Phone Support Program, Referrals to lactation or mental health professionals, Web-based screening and psychiatric evaluation, Doula support, Diaper distribution, Perinatal loss support, and Social peer support. ²For the target participants, other responses included: Partner/Fathers, Providers, and Babies. ³For the length of participant involvement in program, other responses included: Weekly or biweekly, Consecutive programs (for a few weeks or months), 0–12 months after birth, Specific number of follow-up calls, and Treatment as needed. ⁴For the type of facilitator, other professionals included: Registered Nurse (RN), Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), Nurse practitioner, PD Nurse, Childbirth and/or Lactation consultant, Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) personnel, Doctors, Social worker (MSW), Community partner, and Doula. ⁵For the type of facilitator, other responses included: Health educators and Volunteers/staff to prepare orders of resources such as diapers, baby food, etc. ⁶For the format of the program, other responses included: Facebook and Email. ⁷For language options available, other responses included: Creole or French. ⁸For the cost of the program, other responses included: Some services free while some fee-for-service, sliding scale, and fee but insurance coverage accepted.

ISSN: 1471-2458