As the Lindsay Clancy trial brings national attention to postpartum psychosis, Allegheny Health Network is highlighting its efforts to support mothers experiencing perinatal mood disorders.
TheAlexis Joy D'Achille Center for Perinatal Mental Health, established in 2018, offers integrated care for women experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety. The center was named after Alexis Joy D'Achille, who died in 2013 after struggling with postpartum depression.
Her husband, Steven D'Achille, founded the Alexis Joy D'Achille Foundation to raise awareness and support for maternal mental health and postpartum care.
Family-centered care model
The center's treatment model includes intensive outpatient therapy that allows mothers and babies to stay together during care. It also offers
support for partners and families.
"Women need support from their family and women need to stay together with their children," D'Achille said. "The quicker they get that help and the less scary it is and the more support they have, the quicker they recover and get their life back."
Dr. Ewurama Sackey, medical director of Women's Behavioral Health at AHN, said postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.
"That's why sometimes it's really hard to detect because someone can seem like themselves one minute and then the next minute not," Sackey said. "From what we know, we know it's an emergency. We know it needs to be dealt with right away, and we know that it's treatable."
Program reaches thousands of families
The center has served more than 18,000 patients and handled more than 24,000 referrals since opening. The program is one of a few in the country that offers intensive mother-baby outpatient care.
D'Achille said he hopes the program can serve as a model for other health systems.
"This is a story that happens every day in every city in America," he said. "Women deserve more. We as a country can do more and we should do more."
This article by Gabby Sartori was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Clancy trial unfolds, AHN program offers hope for mothers in crisis
