Best Start Resource Centre –

Perinatal Mental Health Initiatives

Wendy McAllister, Manager

Best Start Resource Centre

• Supports Ontario service providers through

information, consultations, resources and training

in the areas of preconception, prenatal and child

health

• Funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth

Services and as well as project funding from

other Ministries and other funding sources

• A program of Health Nexus

For info: www.beststart.org

Past Perinatal Mental Health Activities

Client Focused

• Parent surveys

• Life with a New Baby

(awareness campaign)

• Pregnancy is not always

what you expect (client

booklet)

• Managing Depression

(materials for client

workshop)

• Postpartum Mood Disorder

client video

Provider Focused

• Creating Circles of Support for

Pregnant Women (service

provider manual)

• Supporting Parents (staff in-

service materials)

• Prenatal Education Modules

(teaching tools for prenatal

educators)

• Postpartum Mood Disorder

provider training video

Ongoing Perinatal Mental Health

Activities

• Routine updates to print and online materials:

– Resources on preconception, pregnancy or

parenting that include some content on perinatal

mental health

– Resources specific to perinatal mental health

• Learning events for service providers related

to perinatal mental health

• Participation on key provincial/national

advisories related to perinatal mental health

Planned or Current Routine Updates

with Perinatal Mental Health Content

• Health Before Pregnancy (online workbook for

clients)

• Prenatal Education Modules (teaching tools for

prenatal educators)

• Healthy Beginnings (detailed client prenatal book)

• A Healthy Start for Baby and Me (low literacy client

prenatal book)

New Perinatal Mental Health Activities

Almost complete:

• Prenatal Education Key Messages (online tool for

service providers)

Next fiscal:

• Promoting Mental Health During Pregnancy (online

learning module for HBHC staff)

Our Development Processes

• Expert input

• Advisory involvement

• Information may be gathered through

literature review, key informant interviews,

focus groups, surveys of parents, etc.

depending on the resource

• Expert review

• Field testing with end users

• BFI Assessor review

Some Key Contributors/Partners in our

Perinatal Mental Health Projects

• PPMD survivors

• CAMH

• Centre for Applied

Research in Mental Health

and Addiction

• Northern Ontario Mental

Health Strategy

• OCFP

• Public Health Units

• RNAO

• SOGC

• Women’s College Hospital

• Ophea

• Nutrition Resource Centre,

OPHA

• BFI Assessors

• Mental health counsellors,

psychiatrists, social workers,

public health nurses,

midwives, physicians

Life with a New Baby

(awareness campaign)

• Client poster, magnet, brochure

• Provider desk reference, tear-off

pads

• Partnership with Telehealth Ontario

• Media – TV and Radio PSAs, print

media, mall and transit posters

• Mailout to health care providers

• English and French, 2007

• Client booklet in English, French,

Arabic, Chinese (simplified), Hindi,

Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil

and Urdu

Parent Surveys - Perinatal Mental Health

• Pre/Post campaign surveys of adults in Ontario

who were aware of PPMD (2006, 2007) to

explore awareness and attitudes around

Postpartum Depression

• Confusion about what Postpartum Depression

is and what to do and where to get help if there

are signs of Postpartum Depression

PPMD videos

• Perinatal Mood

Disorders – An

Interdisciplinary

Training Video, 2013

• Life with a New Baby

– Dealing with

Postpartum Mood

Disorders (French

and English, 2011)

Creating Circles of Support for

Pregnant Women

(service provider manual)

• Manual for service

providers working with

pregnant women, new

mothers and their

families about mental

health promotion in

pregnancy and

postpartum

• 2013

Supporting Parents

(staff in-service materials)

• Supporting Parents

When Parents

Experience Mental

Health Challenges:

Ready to Use

Workshops for Service

Providers

• Downloadable in-service

materials

• 2013

Managing Depression

(materials for client workshop)

• Materials for workshop

for women living with

depression during

pregnancy, after

delivery and beyond

– Facilitator guide (French

and English, 2015)

– Participant workbook

(French and English,

2014)

Pregnancy is Not Always What

You Expect (client booklet)

• Booklet for pregnant

women and women

planning a pregnancy

about mental health

during pregnancy

• French and English,

2013

Prenatal Education Key Messages

(online tool for service providers)

• Key messages and

supporting evidence

for those providing

universal prenatal

information in Ontario

• Includes a topic folder

on mental health

• French and English,

February 2016

Promoting Mental Health

during Pregnancy

(online learning module for HBHC staff)

• Based on request from MCYS, we will start

developing this online learning module in

April 2016

Planned BSRC Priorities for

Perinatal Mental Health in Ontario

• Meeting HBHC staff learning needs - online

learning tool

• Maintaining/updating current online and print

materials

Other Provincial Priorities:

• Summary of evidence base on preventing

(rather than treating) perinatal mental health

concerns

• New survey of awareness and attitudes in

Ontario on perinatal mental health

• Summary of BORN data related to perinatal

mental health

• Client materials in multiple languages about

perinatal mental health

Wendy McAllister

Manager, Best Start Resource Centre

Health Nexus

1-800-397-9567, ext. 2279

w.mcallister@healthnexus.ca

www.beststart.org, www.healthnexus.ca