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Maternal Behavioral Program
"Caminando Juntos- Walking Together."
CHWCMR is unveiling an exciting perinatal mental health program started in 2021
Perinatal Depression (PND) and a lack of support are a serious challenge among our agricultural workers, immigrants, undocumented and refugees' populations. Associated factors to PND include traumatic experience during previous pregnancy, limited knowledge about local and social health-services, normalization of PND by medical team, limited services of mental healthcare, cultural and language barriers among others. Therefore, we developed a curriculum "Walking together" to advocate for early detection of perinatal depression and to assist our participants to get the resources that they need to overcome these barriers.
Walking together or "Caminando Juntos" is a Community Health Worker-led, train-the-trainer program that will aid 120 families over 3 years. It will bring socio-emotional support, knowledge about maternal mental health, dissolution of mental stigma, and connection to resources. Parents deserve mental health support during a major life event such as giving birth. Caring for a newborn is difficult unto itself - postpartum depression adds levels of difficulty no one should face alone. Studies show the connections between parental mental health, parent-child bonding, and health outcomes for children. We should walk this journey together.