How it Works
For Health Care Professionals: 877-296-9049
The Periscope Project is a free resource for health care professionals treating pregnant and postpartum women in Wisconsin. The Periscope Project has three major components, all created to build capacity to treat the mental health needs of perinatal patients.
Monday – Friday, excluding holidays, 8 am to 4 pm
The teleconsultation component is only offered to health care providers and professionals caring for patients in Wisconsin. They are not available to patients.
How it Works:
An eligible health care provider contacts The Periscope Project during business hours via phone or email with questions or concerns regarding the mental health of a perinatal patient.
A coordinator triages calls and emails by verifying basic provider information and collecting details on the clinical question. Triage typically lasts two minutes.
For phone inquires, a perinatal psychiatrist returns the provider’s call within 30 minutes. Periscope psychiatrists will support inquiring health care providers in managing mental health care of patients by providing education tailored to the clinical question. The provider-to-provider case-based discussion typically lasts 8 minutes. Email inquires are returned within one business day.
Most often, patients remain in the care of their health care provider. Inquiring providers build their capacity to care for their perinatal patients mental health concerns. In some cases, the Periscope Project psychiatrist may recommend further evaluation by a general or sub-specialty psychiatrist.
Topics for teleconsultation may include; diagnostic support, treatment planning, and medication use in the perinatal period. Questions may be general or specific.
Consultations are provided within the scope of the callers practice. The psychiatrist will discuss medications only with those providers with prescribing rights i.e. physicians and mid-level providers. Non-medical professionals, like home visitors, or ancillary support can call the provider line to receive education or access community resource information.
The Periscope Project does not review charts, prescribe medications, diagnose, or provide direct treatment to patients.
Periscope houses information on additional perinatal mental health support resources statewide. Eligible providers contact Periscope via phone or email to access the resource information. The coordinator assists providers in identifying ongoing mental health and substance abuse support options available to the patient. Resource information is emailed to the inquiring provider.
Resource information includes; peer support groups, psychotherapy services, mental health treatment (including prescribers comfortable in the management of pregnant and postpartum women), substance use treatment, and perinatal loss support.
The Periscope Project offers a range of educational materials designed to enhance understanding of perinatal mental health conditions.
- Provider Toolkit
- Recorded Modules
- Live Webinar Series
- Live, Personalized Didactics for Clinics and Groups
Contact us to schedule a perinatal mental health didactic for your group.
Available Monday – Friday from 8am – 4pm CST, excluding holidays.
Provider to provider perinatal psychiatric tele-consultations within 30 minutes.
E-mails returned within one business day.
The Periscope Project is a program of the Medical College of Wisconsin – Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.
