Why it matters:
Nearly half of Utah women of reproductive age report poor mental health—and access to care remains limited, especially in rural communities.
By the numbers
- Utah ranks 4th nationally for postpartum depression symptoms
- Utah ranks 6th for diagnosed depression in women of reproductive age
- Poor mental health among Utah women ages 18–44 has increased by nearly 20 percentage points over the past decade—now affecting over 40%
The big picture
A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and Utah Department of Health and Human Services (UDHHS) identifies mental health conditions, substance use disorder, and obesity as the most common contributing factors to maternal deaths in Utah.
The data show that challenges are more severe among women in rural communities and racial and ethnic minority populations—groups that also face the greatest barriers to accessing care.
What’s being done
- Loan repayment programs are helping attract mental health providers to rural and underserved areas through the Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program
- Building behavioral health crisis centers in rural areas could divert patients from emergency rooms and connect them with appropriate long-term support
- Active screening for mental health conditions during and after pregnancy is being emphasized as a critical intervention point
What they’re saying
“Mental health is such a big concern right now for everyone. We’re especially worried about moms and babies because that’s such a sensitive period of time and because of the rates of postpartum depression, are pretty high in Utah.” — Anna West, Workforce Development, UDHHS Rural Health
“We have both a very high need for mental health care for all of our citizens, but particularly women who are having babies. That’s always a sensitive population. And alongside the high need, we have a limited number of health care providers.” — West
“The other thing that is gaining traction are these behavioral health crisis centers. Our goal is to try to get more of them built and created in rural Utah… The more of these centers that are created, we can gather better data, track outcomes, and then be able to present that to the state and say, look, these really work. They divert people from the emergency room. So it’s lowering the cost of care and providing better quality.” — Matt McCullough, Rural Hospital Improvement Director, Rural 9 Network Director
The bottom line
Improving maternal mental health requires both better screening and expanded access to care—especially in communities where provider shortages are most acute.
Read the full report: ruralhealth.utah.gov/maternal-health