Kittitas County Perinatal SERVICES

Kittitas County is the recipient of the Perinatal Mental Health Initiative (PMHI) Grant. The funding is two years and began in July 2023 thru June 2025. The PMHI is a partnership between local grant funded organizations, Perinatal Support Washington, and the funder Strengthening Families Washington, a program within the Department of Children, Youth & Families. The PMHI focuses on perinatal mental health capacity building for local communities aimed at increasing awareness of perinatal mental health disorders amongst providers and families, increasing perinatal mental health screening and appropriate referrals, and creating easy pathways for families to access the care they need. Currently, there are 11 funded communities in Washington state.

The Kittitas Perinatal Mental Health Task force is hosted by NAMI Kittitas. 

NAMI Kittitas is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with mental illness and their families through support, education, and advocacy. We sought this funding specifically because of the lack of accessible resources regarding perinatal mental health for parents in our community. We at NAMI Kittitas believe it is vital to start filling the gap of care for moms and their families.

The Perinatal Mental Health Task Force of Kittitas County includes members from all areas of our community and those who are well acquainted with and concerned about the mental health issues faced by mothers and their families during the perinatal period. This includes healthcare providers, mental health professionals, other community leaders, and parents of young children. The primary goal of our task force is to begin finding ways to provide easy, equitable access to social supports and perinatal mental health care for Kittitas County families. Additional goals will be determined during the first few task force meetings.