Literature Collection

PURPOSE: Despite evidence of disproportionate burden of HIV and mental health disorders among incarcerated people, scarce services exist to address common mental health disorders, including major depressive and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders, among incarcerated people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This paper aims to summarize current knowledge on mental health interventions of relevance to incarcerated PLHIV and apply implementation science theory to highlight strategies and approaches to deliver mental health services for PLHIV in correctional settings in SSA. RECENT FINDINGS: Scarce evidence-based mental health interventions have been rigorously evaluated among incarcerated PLHIV in SSA. Emerging evidence from low- and middle-income countries and correctional settings outside SSA point to a role for cognitive behavioral therapy-based talking and group interventions implemented using task-shifting strategies involving lay health workers and peer educators. Several mental health interventions and implementation strategies hold promise for addressing common mental health disorders among incarcerated PLHIV in SSA. However, to deliver these approaches, there must first be pragmatic efforts to build corrections health system capacity, address human rights abuses that exacerbate HIV and mental health, and re-conceptualize mental health services as integral to quality HIV service delivery and universal access to primary healthcare for all incarcerated people.

BACKGROUND: Maternal depression is common among low-income women enrolled in home visiting programs, yet there is considerable variability in the extent to which it is identified and addressed. This study examines outcomes related to postpartum depression screening, receipt of evidence-based services, and reductions in depressive symptoms among clients of home visiting programs in the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Home Visiting Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (HV CoIIN), the first U.S. national application of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Breakthrough Series (BTS) Model in home visiting programs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Fourteen home visiting programs in eight states, serving a geographically and racially diverse caseload of pregnant women and new mothers, took part in the HV CoIIN. Women in participating home visiting programs received the intervention strategies implemented by their program during participation in the collaborative. HV CoIIN strategies included specific policies and protocols for depression screening and home visitor response to screening results; home visitor training and supervision; delivery of prevention and treatment interventions; and tracking systems for screening, referral, and follow-up. HV CoIIN's proposed primary outcome was that 85% of women who accessed evidence-based services would experience a 25% reduction in depressive symptoms three months after accessing services. Secondary outcomes included an increased percentage of women who were screened for depression within three months of enrollment or birth, who verbally accepted a referral to evidence-based services, and who received one or more evidence-based service contacts. HV CoIIN resulted in improved symptoms among women who accessed services, from 51.1% to 59.9%. HV CoIIN also improved the percent of women screened for depression, from 83.6% to 96.3%, and those with positive depression screens who accessed evidence-based services, from 41.6% to 65.5%. Home visiting programs in this study were early adopters of quality improvement activities, which may limit the generalizability of these results to other home visiting programs. CONCLUSIONS: Home visiting programs can play an important role in closing gaps in maternal depression identification, referrals, service access, and symptom alleviation. Continuous quality improvement and BTS collaborative methods can be used to improve home visiting services in ways that advance national public health priorities and improve population health outcomes.

The United States is facing a maternal health crisis with increasing rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. To improve maternal health and promote health equity, the authors developed a novel 2-generation model of postpartum and pediatric care. This article describes the Two-Generation Clinic (Two-Gen) and model of care. The model combines a dyadic strategy for simultaneous maternal and pediatric care with the collaborative care model in which seamless primary and behavioral health care are delivered to address the physical health, behavioral health, and social service needs of families. The transdisciplinary team includes primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, obstetrician-gynecologists, social workers, care navigators, and lactation specialists. Dyad clinic visits are coscheduled (at the same time) and colocated (in the same examination room) with the same primary care provider. In the Two-Gen, the majority (89%) of the mothers self-identify as racial and ethnic minorities. More than 40% have a mental health diagnosis. Almost all mothers (97.8%) completed mental health screenings, >50.0% have received counseling from a social worker, 17.2% had a visit with a psychiatrist, and 50.0% received lactation counseling. Over 80% of the children were up to date with their well-child visits and immunizations. The Two-Gen is a promising model of care that has the potential to inform the design of postpartum care models and promote health equity in communities with the highest maternal health disparities.