About the Periscope Project
The Periscope Project (Periscope), a project of the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, was created in 2017 to address gaps in perinatal mental health care options in Wisconsin. Periscope is a perinatal psychiatric access program building capacity in front line health care professionals by offering three core services at no cost to utilizing health care providers or the patients they care for.
Periscope Project Vision
Our vision is for all women in Wisconsin of childbearing age to have access to evidence-based perinatal mental health care.
The Periscope Project was created to fill the critical gap between statewide perinatal depression screening initiatives and lack of perinatal psychiatric treatment services in Wisconsin. Health care providers often discontinue or delay initiation of antidepressant medication when pregnancy or breastfeeding is identified due to fears about medication safety. By offering resources to assist health care providers in treating their pregnant and postpartum patients, Periscope reduces health disparities and increases healthy birth outcomes.
(Right: Becky Schroeder, MS, is the co-founder of Moms Mental Health Initiative. Becky shared her personal story during the Periscope Project’s launch event in February 2017.)
How Periscope Works
Capacity Building
- Front line providers contact Periscope with individual patient questions.
- Periscope trains front line providers on diagnosis and treatment.
Increased Access
- Front line providers increase capacity to diagnose and treat perinatal mental health disorders and apply knowledge to entire patient panel.
- Every perinatal patient in Wisconsin has access to subspecialty perinatal mental health expertise through their existing health care providers.
Periscope Core Services
Periscope offers three core services to health care providers at no cost.
Consultation
Consultation regarding the mental health or substance use condition of a perinatal patient between an eligible health care professional and a subspecialty perinatal psychiatrist within 30 minutes.
Education
Educating health care providers on topics related to the treatment and diagnosis of perinatal mental health disorders through live presentations and online tools.
Resources
Sharing information with providers on local available resources that support the mental health and well-being of pregnant/postpartum individuals and their families.
Periscope Statewide Integration
Periscope has had inquiries from 96% of Wisconsin counties where births occur in a health care facility.
Periscope is effectively reaching a wide range of health care providers across Wisconsin – spanning various disciplines, levels of training, and geographic locations. By engaging a wide range of health care professionals, Periscope is building capacity at multiple levels of the health care system. This inclusive approach ensures that perinatal mental health (PMH) knowledge is not only disseminated broadly but also integrated into everyday practice, maximizing the potential to make a meaningful and lasting impact on maternal mental health outcomes statewide.