AHRQ Cross-Sectional Innovation to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge | Agency for Health Research and Quality

AHRQ Cross-Sectional Innovation to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge | Agency for Health Research and Quality

AHRQ Announces Challenge to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health

This week AHRQ is announcing a new challenge to improve postpartum mental health care for rural American families. One in seven mothers experiences a postpartum mental health condition, defined as the onset of depression or anxiety within 1 year of giving birth. Rural women and families face barriers to accessing adequate care for postpartum mental health problems, including availability of care and child care, transportation, and cost. The single-phase Cross-Sectional Innovation to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge will award a total cash prize of $175,000 for two submission categories. Five winners of the Success Story Category will receive $15,000 each, and two winners of the Program Proposal category will receive $50,000 each. The goal of the challenge is to elicit local solutions to address postpartum mental health diagnosis and treatment in rural communities that AHRQ can share with healthcare systems, healthcare professionals, local and state policymakers, Federal partners, and the public. For more information, visit the AHRQ Cross-Sectional Innovation to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge web page. For a list of runners-up and finalists of other AHRQ challenges, visit the AHRQ Challenges web page.