508: Healthy Aging Challenges, Supporting Maternal Mental Health

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, September 21, 2023. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

PUJA SETH: 

So, healthy aging is not just about older adults and that is really key. It's important to address across the lifespan.

JOHNSON: 

The CDC's Dr. Puja Seth says the concept of healthy aging is a big idea that touches a lot of people and many aspects of public health.

SETH: 

We really think about it as the process of developing and maintaining healthy behaviors that facilitate things like physical health, social emotional health, and cognitive health throughout adulthood. It also is important to promote health and wellbeing and independence into older ages. So, we envision a society in which all people and communities have equitable access to resources to maximize independence and quality of life as they age.

JOHNSON: 

And it's getting complicated because so many health concerns are on the rise.

SETH: 

So, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are a growing problem in the country. Arthritis, which impacts both working age and older adults, is associated with activity limitations and increased disability. It's also a leading cause of work disability. We also need to think about things like the increased risk for loneliness and social isolation. So, because of these risk factors and some of the challenges, CDC really focuses on health promotion activities across the lifespan that support longevity and are focused on improving quality of life to help limit these challenges as people age.

JOHNSON: 

Seth adds, there is some good news about a CDC program focused on dementia.

SETH: 

I'm really excited to announce that we will be supporting 43 health departments and jurisdictions across the country. To increase capacity and infrastructure to address dementia from a public health standpoint, efforts will specifically focus on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. They will also focus on using data to inform action and specifically address the social determinants of health to achieve health equity goals.

JOHNSON: 

Learn more about this work using the links in the show notes.

Maryland is one of ten states doing the best work to support mental health among new mothers and pregnant people. That's according to a report card issued by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. This is Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman with the Maryland Department of Health.

NILESH KALYANARAMAN: 

They have a number of programs that are really focused on that population. A couple of screening programs in Maryland are prenatal risk assessment and our postpartum infant and maternal referral form. They are ways to look at mental health needs, substance use disorder needs, and get those women and families to the right services if they need them. We have doula services available as well, that's reimbursed by Medicaid.

JOHNSON: 

Kalyanaraman says policy changes have enabled the work.

KALYANARAMAN: 

One is a recent expansion of our Medicaid coverage. So, one extending for pregnant women from 60 days to one year of postpartum eligibility for Medicaid is critical to provide those services during the postpartum period. Our second is another expansion of our Medicaid benefits. It's called the Healthy Babies Equity Act.

JOHNSON: 

He adds Maryland also addresses racial disparities with its CenteringPregnancy program.

KALYANARAMAN: 

It provides prenatal services in particularly targeted areas right where we have higher issues of serious maternal morbidity. And it's a group prenatal care model. And it offers those women more time with the provider, and encourages interaction with other pregnant people that have similar concerns and life experiences. And I think the important part of this is that it's an evidence-based program. And it's been shown to help close the disparity gap in preterm births between black and white pregnant women.

JOHNSON: 

Learn more about Maryland's work in this area by clicking the link in the show notes.

Also today, maternal health benefits when data equity practices are in place. O'Keyla Cooper has more.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Join ASTHO's virtual webinar on October 4 from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern time, focusing on advancing maternal health with data equity. Learn about the impact of data equity on maternal and infant health outcomes, and the role health care providers play in advancing maternal health through data equity practices. You can register via the link in the show notes.

JOHNSON: 

Finally, this morning, stay up to date on policy moves happening in Congress and state legislatures across the country by signing up for ASTHO's Legislative Alert emails. You can join the list using the link in the show notes.

We'd also like to remind you to follow this newscast on your podcast player and ASTHO on social media. We're on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.