For the past few years, a team of perinatal psychiatrists made up of Deborah Cowley, MD, Amritha Bhat, MD, MPH, Carmen Croicu, MD, and Ramanpreet Toor, MD, have been providing telephone consultation to any provider in Washington State who cares for a pregnant or new mom experiencing mental health conditions and/or substance abuse disorders. Originally started with philanthropy support and staffed two hours a day Monday through Friday, new state funding is allowing us to expand the newly named PAL for Moms program to four hours a day (1-5 PM) starting January 2, 2019 with plans to offer the service from 9 AM – 5 PM beginning in July, 2019. The service is modeled after the successful Partnership Access Line (PAL) at Seattle Children’s led by Bob Hilt, MD, that provides psychiatric consultation via phone for primary care providers taking care of children and adolescents.

PAL for Moms faculty members will consult on any mental health-related questions for patients who are pregnant, in the first year postpartum, planning pregnancy, or who have pregnancy-related complications (e.g. pregnancy loss, infertility). Topics may include depression, anxiety, or other psychiatric disorders; adjustment to pregnancy loss, complications, or difficult life events; risks of psychiatric medications; non-medication treatments; and consulting about women on psychotropic medications who are wanting to or thinking about getting pregnant. Primary-care doctors, OB-GYNs, nurses, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, social workers, counselors, midwives and pediatricians can access the line. The consultation line has fielded calls from fifteen Washington counties thus far.

Please reach out to Dr. Cowley or Becky Sladek if you have ideas of how we can let providers know about this expanded service and/or are willing to bring marketing materials to relevant workshops, conferences, meeting, etc. The phone line is 206-685-2924 or 877-725-4666 (PAL4MOM). Providers can call at any time and receive a call back within one working day.