HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Frontier Psychiatry are partnering to launch a free, statewide psychiatric consultation line for clinicians caring for the mental health of patients who are pregnant or in the postpartum period.
The new service is called PRISM for Moms. PRISM stands for Psychiatric Referrals, Intervention, and Support in Montana and is the first consultation line dedicated to supporting the unique mental health needs of Montanans in the perinatal period.
To request a consultation, clinicians are encouraged to call 1-833-83-PRISM (1-833-837-7476) or submit a HIPAA-compliant online e-consult form at prismconsult.org.
The new service has been piloted over the past three months and is now being launched statewide to all interested providers.
Montana faces severe shortages in mental and behavioral health, with 55 of Montana’s 56 counties designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Women needing treatment for prenatal and postpartum depression and substance use disorder during pregnancy may not be able to receive the care they need, particularly in Montana’s very rural counties.
According to DPHHS, pregnant women and new mothers have an extremely high burden of mental illness in Montana. While 10.5% of women at the national level report depression before pregnancy, this number climbs to 19.6% for Montana women.
The purpose of the new line is for prescribing providers across Montana that need psychiatric teleconsultation services for pregnant and postpartum patients. This service is available but not limited to midwives, obstetric providers, primary care providers, pediatricians, psychiatric providers, psychologists, nurses, medical assistants, care coordinators, and social workers.
The line is staffed by the clinical team of Billings-based Frontier Psychiatry, in partnership with DPHHS and Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies – The Montana Coalition.
This service is funded through part of a five-year federal grant awarded to DPHHS through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The cost to support the line is $490,000 total through 2023.
Calls will be answered 24/7 by a support specialist who will collect information to prepare a clinical staff member from Frontier Psychiatry to call back and provide case-based consultation. Staff will return weekday requests between 4 pm and 5 pm on the same day. Requests received after 4 pm on weekdays or over the weekend will be addressed the next business day.
For more information, please visit prismconsult.org or contact Eric Arzubi, MD at 406-200-8471 or eric@frontier.care.
Information courtesy of DPHHS
