The North Shore Postpartum Depression Task Force was convened in 2007 by Ipswich’s Birth to Three Family Center, a member of the Department of Early Education and Care’s Massachusetts Family Network. We created the Task Force because we believe in the profound importance of strong maternal and infant mental health. 

The Task Force has been inspired by the following strategies (which were originally outlined by policy analyst Ngozi Onunaku's document titled: Improving Maternal and Infant Mental Health - Focus on Maternal Depression):

1. Increase maternal depression awareness to providers in the health care community, early care and education, and family support.
2. Perform outreach and education to expectant and new mothers to address the stigma and patient barriers associated with maternal depression.
3. Assure early identification of maternal depression in health care settings by addressing barriers to recognition, screening, assessment, and referral.
4. Encourage investment in evidence-based interventions that improve mother-child relationships.
5. Build a comprehensive network of community perinatal service providers to strengthen mental health in the pregnant and postpartum family.

It is the goal of this Task Force to bring together the practitioners, organizations, research, and best practices that North Shore families need for a healthy postpartum experience. The initial scope of this Task Force is the North Shore United Way community, including the following towns: Beverly, Manchester, Hamilton, Wenham, Ipswich, Essex, Gloucester, and Rockport.

Thank you to the team who contributed thier time and talent to create this website: Jen Cann, Barbara DiLorenzo, Sue Gunby, Jason Morris and Robin Snyder-Drummond.