Into the Light: Using Technology to Develop a Mother/Family Centered Peer Support Network [English and Spanish versions]

This paper highlights the work of Postpartum Progress Inc., to engage with large online communities of women experiencing a perinatal mental health issue, in order to explore the efficacy of peer support as a treatment modality. Into the Light is a Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Pipeline to Proposal project that will bring together diverse stakeholders and patients to build collaborative partnerships. Project goals include developing patient engagement, recruitment and dissemination strategies that reflect the needs of this patient population. Increasing patient access to easily understood information about treatment options when making health care decisions and improving patient-centered research strategies are also aims of the project. A Spanish translation of this publication is available to download under Additional Files

The Massachusetts Family Networks Implementation Study

Family Networks is a comprehensive systems transformation initiative to redesign and integrate traditional categorical services across the Commonwealth into local systems of care for children, youth, and families served by the child welfare system. The Family Networks Implementation Study, a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (MA/DSS) and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is a two-year study of the process of implementing local systems of care that began in January 2007, and will continue through December 2008. Findings from the Family Networks Implementation Study will inform MA/DSS strategic planning, system refinements, and the Family Networks outcomes evaluation. Continuous quality improvement strategies, drawn from study findings, will be relevant and useful to other Massachusetts EOHHS agencies with similar service delivery systems and agendas. Project activities and products will promote the Commonwealth’s participation in the national dialogue regarding systems transformation in child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice

Storage requirements for bathrooms

The lack of storage space in bathrooms is a common problem in today's homes. Casual observation of both old and new houses reveals that seemingly little effort has been made to provide adequate and convenient storage space for even the most used items. Most houses are bought by families after construction is completed. It would appear that builders and buyers are not aware of the loss of time and energy and the confusion encountered by families due to lack of convenient storage space in the bathroom for the numerous items used there

Implementation Challenges in Wrapping Interventions Around Families Living with Parental Mental Illness

Summary: Parental mental illness challenges service providers in adult mental health, child welfare and children’s mental health systems of care. This presentation describes the development and implementation of Family Options, a family-centered, strengths-based, family-driven intervention for families living with parental mental illness. Findings from the Family Options implementation study suggest strategies for the replication of the intervention, as well as recommendations for the enhancement of existing programs like children’s systems of care to meet parents’ needs and improve outcomes for all family members

Folic Acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: An Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force

AB Importance: Neural tube defects are among the most common congenital anomalies in the United States. Periconceptional folic acid supplementation is a primary care-relevant preventive intervention. Objective: To review the evidence on folic acid supplementation for preventing neural tube defects to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force for an updated Recommendation Statement. Data Sources: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and trial registries through January 28, 2016, with ongoing surveillance through November 11, 2016; references; experts. Study Selection: English-language studies of folic acid supplementation in women. Excluded were poor-quality studies; studies of prepubertal girls, men, women without the potential for childbearing, and neural tube defect recurrence; and studies conducted in developing countries. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts, full-text articles, and risk of bias of included studies. One investigator extracted data and a second checked accuracy. Because of heterogeneity, data were not pooled. Main Outcomes and Measures: Neural tube defects, harms of treatment (twinning, respiratory outcomes). Results: A total of 24 studies (N > 58 860) were included. In 1 randomized clinical trial from Hungary initiated in 1984, incidence of neural tube defects for folic acid supplementation compared with trace element supplementation was 0% vs 0.25% (Peto odds ratio [OR], 0.13 [95% CI, 0.03-0.65]; n = 4862). Odds ratios from cohort studies recruiting participants between 1984 and 1996 demonstrated beneficial associations and ranged from 0.11 to 0.27 (n = 19 982). Three of 4 case-control studies with data from 1976 through 1998 reported ORs ranging from 0.6 to 0.7 (n > 7121). Evidence of benefit led to food fortification in the United States beginning in 1998, after which no new prospective studies have been conducted. More recent case-control studies drawing from data collected after 1998 have not demonstrated a protective association consistently with folic acid supplementation, with ORs ranging from 0.93 to 1.4 and confidence intervals spanning the null (n > 13 990). Regarding harms, 1 trial (OR, 1.40 [95% CI, 0.89-2.21]; n = 4767) and 1 cohort study (OR, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.91-1.18]; n = 2620) found no statistically significant increased risk of twinning. Three systematic reviews found no consistent evidence of increased risk of asthma (OR, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.99-1.14]; n = 14 438), wheezing, or allergy. Conclusions and Relevance: In studies conducted before the initiation of food fortification in the United States in 1998, folic acid supplementation provided protection against neural tube defects. Newer postfortification studies have not demonstrated a protective association but have the potential for misclassification and recall bias, which can attenuate the measured association of folic acid supplementation with neural tube defects. Copyright 2017 by the American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use. American Medical Association, 515 N. State St, Chicago, IL 60610

The Family Options Project: Implementing an Innovative Intervention for Parents with Mental Illnesses and Their Families

The Family Options Project reflects a productive partnership between researchers and providers at the UMMS Center for Mental Health Services Research and Employment Options, Inc., Marlborough, MA The Family Options Intervention is an evidence-informed psychiatric rehabilitation intervention, developed and tested within the context of a community-based agency setting

Mothers with Mental Health Disorders: Mental Health Promotion in the Context of Parenting

Parenting is a meaningful role for the majority of American women, including those with mental health disorders. Success in this role, particularly for women with mental health disorders, would seem to be intimately related to mental health promotion, the recovery process, and successful functioning in other major life domains (e.g., employment, community living, and personal health and well-being). The achievement of maximum social participation for women with mental health disorders may hinge on addressing the challenges they face as parents