Missouri's Maternal Mental Health Improves, Mercy Leads the Way in Changes

Key points:

• Mercy helps bring positive change to maternal mental health scores in Missouri.
• Unique Mercy programs integrate behavioral health and women's health making care seamless.
• Mercy is the largest provider of obstetrics care in Missouri.

ST. LOUIS, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Maternal mental health in Missouri is improving according to the 2026 report cards that include 27 measures across four categories – screening/detection, providers and treatment, policy and payment and parental support.

"While there is still much work to be done, this move from the state of Missouri failing in support of maternal mental health to a passing grade represents tremendous progress," said Dr. Kimberly Brandt, Mercy perinatal psychiatrist. "As the largest provider of obstetrics care by volume in Missouri, Mercy is a big part of that positive change."

Mercy's unique programs that integrate behavioral health and women's health have been instrumental in the state's improvements. They include:

• A collaborative care model that proactively screens and treats patients with anxiety and depression across all Mercy primary care, pediatrics and women's health clinics offices, including obstetrics.
• Dedicated mental health support in Mercy's high-risk maternal-fetal medicine clinics.
• The BRAVE (Building Recovery, Advocacy, Validation and Empowerment) program for pregnant and postpartum patients at high risk for substance use is a Mercy team that includes behavioral health-licensed clinical social workers, nurse practitioners, therapists, peer support, a specialty nurse, a perinatal psychiatrist and a high-risk OB.
• A Mother Baby Intensive Outpatient Program for women during pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth that provides mothers a supportive environment to talk to others who face similar challenges.
• Perinatal psychiatry that serves women with new onset and existing mental health disorders that occur during and after pregnancy up to one year postpartum. This can include postpartum depression, anxiety disorders, postpartum psychosis, PTSD and many others. Mercy's team consists of services including a nurse practitioner, individual therapy and a specialty nurse. This team has completed 3,613 individual visits within the current fiscal year.

"Mercy welcomes more babies in Missouri than any other health system in the state," said Dr. Dan Jackson, Mercy maternal fetal medicine physician and addiction medicine specialist. "We have a responsibility to help pregnant and postpartum women when they need it most."

Mercy Hospital St. Louis welcomes more babies than any hospital in the state. With all levels of care for mom and baby, from a low intervention birthing center and adult intensive care units for unexpected medical issues to the children's hospital within a hospital with a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, Mercy St. Louis is uniquely positioned to keep families together.

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state healthcare system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.

SOURCE Mercy