UAMS has received a $600,000 grant from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office to support a women’s mental health fellowship.
The grant aims to address the impact of the opioid epidemic on women and to help reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate. It will be used to train psychiatrists in the treatment of women with opioid use disorder and other psychiatric conditions, specifically during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
The Women’s Mental Health Program, based in the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, houses the state’s only psychiatrists specializing in women’s mental health. The program recorded 3,758 patient visits between January 2023 and August 2024, 40% of which were for substance use disorders.
Fellows in the program will train in UAMS’ outpatient clinics, both psychiatric and obstetric, and the inpatient women’s psychiatric unit, one of only five in the country, as well as with physicians in the neonatal intensive care unit who care for babies with opioid withdrawal.
Mental health conditions, including drug overdoses and suicide, are among the leading underlying causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. Arkansas ranks third in the nation in maternal deaths, behind Mississippi and Alabama, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics compiled from 2018 to 2022.
A press release from UAMS stated that the increasing need for specialists in women’s mental health makes this fellowship vital. It will be one of fewer than 20 in the country.
“Women have been uniquely affected by the opioid crisis and in general are more prone to psychiatric illnesses including depression and anxiety. Hormonal changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period also increase rates of psychiatric illness,” Dr. Jessica Coker, the medical director of the Psychiatric Research Unit’s inpatient units, said in the release. “Having specialized psychiatrists that understand the hormonal nuances and can balance the risks and benefits of treatment is crucial for women during this vulnerable time. We are excited to be able to train more psychiatrists in this area who will be able to serve patients across the state and beyond.”
Sign up for Daily E-news
