Adrienne Griffen MPP

Adrienne Griffen, MPP, is the Executive Director of Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (mmhla.org), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the mental health of mothers and childbearing people in the United States with a focus on national policy and health equity.

MMHLA advocates for improved maternal mental health care and serves as a trusted source of information related to maternal mental health. MMHLA’s advocacy efforts have led to almost $70 million in federal funding for maternal mental health programs at the national and state levels.

Adrienne serves on the National Maternal Mental Health Task Force, and on the Boards of Directors of the Marce Society of North America and the Mental Health Liaison Group. She also founded Postpartum Support Virginia (postpartumva.org), which she led for ten years (2009-2019), building a statewide network of support groups and maternal mental health coalitions which have helped thousands of new mothers.

Adrienne graduated from the US Naval Academy and has a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She lives in Arlington VA with her husband and three young adult children.

Session

Families in Crisis: The Perinatal Mortality and Mental Health Crisis

Perinatal mental health complications are the MOST COMMON complication of pregnancy and childbirth, impacting 1 in 5 pregnant or postpartum people, and negatively affecting 800,000 families each year in the United States, and more worldwide. Tragically, suicide and overdose combined are the LEADING CAUSE of perinatal mortality, contributing to almost 25% of deaths (of note, the leading cause of death for women of color remains cardiac and coronary conditions). The vast majority of individuals who experience perinatal mental health conditions do not receive adequate treatment, increasing the risk of long-term negative impact on the birthing person, baby, and family — and costing more than $14.2 billion each year in poor birth and health outcomes along with lost wages and productivity.

This presentation will provide information about perinatal mental health conditions, including facts and figures, signs and symptoms, risk factors, impact on parents and babies, and opportunities for intervention.