Parent Partnership Board urges statewide focus on maternal mental health, proposes closed-loop referrals

Colleen Kauell, a member of the OCCY Parent Partnership Board, told the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth on Sept. 19 that gaps in screening and follow-up for postpartum depression left her out of care and contributed to long-term family harms. Kauell said she “filled out the surveys at the doctor” during postpartum visits but the results were not followed up, and that she resigned from her job because untreated depression made returning to work impossible.

Kauell told commissioners the board’s new strategic plan (included in the meeting packet) aims to “strengthen child-serving systems across Oklahoma by bringing authentic parent perspectives directly into decision making, policy development, and system improvements.” She described the board’s composition as parents with lived experience of addiction recovery, foster care, homelessness, DHS involvement and mental health, and said the board can review policies, present at events, join work groups, and serve as “thought partners.”

Kauell cited state screening and provider gaps: she said Oklahoma screened only about 54% of new mothers for postpartum depression from 2016–2019, that mothers with a bachelor’s degree or higher had a lower screening rate (about 50.6%), and that the state received a D grade in 2024 for maternal mental health screening and provider availability. “Maternal mental health must be treated as a public health priority,” she said, adding that untreated postpartum depression can affect child development, family stability and long-term public costs.

Kauell praised recent state steps that expand coverage — including Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months and new funding streams supporting childbirth-related services — but urged systems-level changes so mothers who screen positive are actually connected to services. As an example, she proposed a “thorough and genuine needs assessment at well-child or postpartum visits” integrated into a closed-loop referral system so that families receive follow-up and care navigation rather than only screening.

Commissioners thanked Kauell for sharing her story and for the Parent Partnership Board’s strategic plan; no formal action was taken on the presentation. Kauell invited commissioners to contact the board’s staff lead, Isabelle, for follow-up and noted the board will open applications to recruit more parent partners.

The Parent Partnership Board’s materials and the full strategic plan were provided in the meeting packet; Kauell encouraged commissioners to review the packet QR code for more detail.