The prenatal and postpartum care that mothers and babies receive can make a difference in their lives. Unfortunately for the United States, there is a gap for many mamás when it comes to child bearing. Particularly for maternal mental health.

Perelel cites that the U.S. ranks at number 55 globally in maternal mortality, often caused by maternity care deserts.

Still, there’s hope for U.S. mothers. Motherly reports that this is all about to change. The Biden-Harris administration announced that over $558 million in funding will go to support maternal mental health in the U.S. This is all in hopes of curbing overall maternal mortality rates and supporting families where they need it.

The funding will expand several programs to help families thrive

According to Motherly, the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, will be allocating over $440 million to various initiatives.

Among those initiatives, maternal, infant, and early childhood home visits will be expanded. Funding will also support local organizations that can send trained health professionals to homes for “ongoing prenatal care and postpartum support.”

Other expanded programs include developmental screenings, early language development, and breastfeeding assistance, to name a few. 

Maternal mental health is among the top concerns addressed by the funding

While maternal mental health is a great concern, before this funding, it wasn’t receiving the attention it needed. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites that the Biden-Harris administration is the first to expand “the federal home visiting program in nearly 10 years.”

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said, “At the Health Resources and Services Administration, we are deeply committed to removing barriers to care for expectant and new moms and babies who face too many hurdles getting the support that they need.”

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra echoes this sentiment. 

In a statement, Becerra says, “Bringing home a baby can be stressful. Many new parents face additional challenges such as housing, or income insecurity, which can make the whole situation even more daunting. But we know from decades of research that home visits work — from helping with school readiness and achievement for children to improving health for women.”

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the remaining $118.5 million will go towards a five-year plan that “will continue building the public health infrastructure to better identify and prevent pregnancy-related deaths.”

Want to know if you’ll benefit? Here is the full list of the cities and states that will be awarded funds.