A Significant Solution for Maternal Mental Health: Certified Peer Specialists
By Joy Burkhard and Jenna Cohn
Peer support provided by trained peer support specialists is a proven model for addressing mental health conditions. In 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) identified peer support services for mental health to be an evidence-based practice. CMS deems the use of certified peer specialists reimbursable for states that choose to incorporate these services into their Medicaid plans. When a peer is trained/certified by state-sanctioned training/certification programs their time may be billable to Medicaid.
2020 Mom, with the leadership and support of several other organizations, has identified, tested, refined, and released certified peer support training with the aim of employment of state-certified peer specialists in both clinical and community-based settings. We believe this will help to:
Augment well-established behavioral health treatment professional shortages
Provide those in need with a trusted and knowledgeable support
Provide those with lived experience meaningful and needed paid work opportunities
Build the capacity of obstetric providers (who are increasingly being expected to anchor the maternal medical home) in addressing maternal mental health disorders
Our new Issue Brief, titled A Significant Solution for Maternal Mental Health: Certified Peer Specialists, provides a deep dive on this significant opportunity to improve to support providers and mothers alike.
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We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about certified peer support and Medicaid reimbursement by posting a comment below.
Interested in Advocacy to improve Access to MMH Certified Peer Specialists in Your State?
If your state doesn’t yet train and/or reimburse mental health peers, only peers providing substance use disorder support, and you are interested in advocating for change please email our state advocacy manager, Crystal@2020mom.org