DESIGNING SYSTEMS TO ELIMINATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF MATERNAL DEPRESSION

​What happens when a state cannot utilize their Medicaid funding to support  screenings for maternal depression? In Coös County, New Hampshire, a coalition  of early childhood organizations got creative to make sure that their families were  receiving the mental health services they needed. Coös County is New Hampshire’s northernmost county. Sharing a border with Maine, Vermont and Canada,  Coös is recognized as New Hampshire’s largest county, yet it has historically been home to the fewest number  of residents compared to the state’s other nine regions. Living in one of the most rural areas in New Hampshire, residents of Coös County experience higher rates of poverty than residents of other counties. Of these residents, roughly 1,200 are under the age of 6. Realizing the strong link between maternal health and a child’s health, the Coös Coalition for Young Children and Families saw an opportunity to improve services and systems for children and families in their community.