Molinalogo

06/20/2024

HOUSTON, June 20, 2024 – Molina Healthcare of Texas (“Molina”) is committed to ensuring the mental health and wellness of expectant mothers and their infants throughout the state of Texas. The latest Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (TMMMRC) report indicated that mental health conditions were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death, accounting for 22% of all deaths. In addition, mental health disorders, other than substance use disorder (SUD), contributed to 25% of pregnancy-related deaths, while SUDs contributed to 11% of pregnancy related deaths. The same report indicated that the majority of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. Because of this, the extension of postpartum coverage for maternal Medicaid recipients, which began March 1, 2024, was a welcome change and victory for maternal Medicaid recipients and their families. 

“Mental health is an important part in the overall well-being of all individuals, and especially in pregnant and post-partum women,” says Dr. Naomi Alvarez, associate vice president of behavioral health at Molina Healthcare of Texas. “At Molina, we are sensitive to how critical mental health is to positive health outcomes of both mothers and babies, and the impact their health can have on the family. We have created a unique supportive program for our members called MAMI (Molina Assures healthy Mothers and Infants) Wellness, which is dedicated to addressing the mental well-being of our maternal members before, during, and after pregnancy.”

Molina’s MAMI Wellness program is an innovative and dedicated behavioral health management program created to support pregnant and postpartum women as well as their babies, through a multifaced approach by addressing mental health conditions, substance use disorders, maternal non-medical drivers of health, and providing spiritual support. The team is comprised of licensed mental health clinicians, Perinatal Social and Health Equity Navigators, and a Perinatal Interfaith Chaplain, all with specialized perinatal training. The MAMI Wellness program also helps connect maternal members in need to maternal mental health treatment providers through a newly expanded maternal mental health network. 

The MAMI Wellness program supports members with various maternal mood disorders like depression and anxiety, those with severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia, as well as perinatal substance use disorders. These members are personally case managed by licensed mental health clinicians that provide coordination of mental health and/or substance use disorder services, education on the members’ conditions, as well as encouraging connection to mental health providers and improving medication adherence. Additionally, the comprehensive MAMI Wellness program provides full-circle member support by helping to address maternal non-medical drivers of health such as food insecurity, transportation, and housing, which also impact mental health, with specialized Perinatal Social and Health Equity Navigators. These individuals are skilled at assisting members who are pregnant, have infants or other small children, navigate various community-based services to ensure all needs are met. 

“At Molina, we not only recognize Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month as a dedicated time for raising awareness about the importance of maternal mental wellness and support for pregnant and postpartum women, but are truly dedicated year-round to supporting our maternal members’ mental health needs to ultimately reduce preventable mental health and substance use related maternal morbidity and mortality in Texas,” said Dr. Lindsey Vasquez, director of maternal and women’s health at Molina Healthcare of Texas. 

For more information on Molina Healthcare of Texas, please visit our website. For HB 12 provider information, please visit TMHP; public information can be found here.

About Molina Healthcare of Texas 
Molina Healthcare of Texas has been providing government-funded health care since 2006. The Company serves members through Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, Medicare-Medicaid (Duals) and Health Insurance Exchange programs, with service areas across Texas Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Texas, visit MolinaHealthcare.com. 

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