Aligning Systems. Advancing Action.
On April 28, 2026, the California Perinatal Wellness Alliance (CPWA) convened more than 40 senior leaders across government, healthcare, and community systems at El Camino Health in Mountain View for a State Agency Roundtable on perinatal mental health.
Planned in partnership with California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), and El Camino Health, the Roundtable marked the first cross-sector convening of its kind since the 2019 California Task Force on Maternal Mental Health.
Together, policymakers, providers, payers, advocates, and survivor leaders aligned around a shared goal: building a more coordinated, accountable system of care for perinatal mental health across California.
Why This Moment Matters
Perinatal mental health conditions—including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and psychosis—affect 1 in 3 mothers in California, yet the majority do not receive timely treatment.
Despite meaningful progress through recent policy, clinical, and financing efforts, families continue to experience fragmented care—with persistent gaps across screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up support.
This moment presents both urgency and opportunity: we largely know what works—now the challenge is ensuring systems are aligned to deliver it.
What Happened
The convening was designed as a working session for alignment and action.
The day opened with lived-experience storytelling, grounding the conversation in the realities families face when systems fail to connect. Participants then engaged in cross-sector dialogue and small-group discussions focused on implementation challenges and opportunities across:
- Care coordination across health, behavioral health, public health, and community systems
- Access to timely screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care
- Workforce capacity and provider training
- Data, accountability, and implementation gaps
- Equity in access and outcomes
Throughout the day, a consistent theme emerged:
the issue is not a lack of solutions—but a lack of coordination across systems.
What Comes Next
This Roundtable was not an endpoint—it was a starting point.
Following the Roundtable, CPWA and partners have begun translating the conversation into action. Together we are:
- Sharing a synthesis of key themes and priorities
- Supporting continued cross-sector alignment
- Developing follow-up implementation resources
- Exploring working groups and implementation pathways
- Advancing coordinated statewide action
Together, this work lays the foundation for a more integrated, equitable, and accountable statewide approach to perinatal mental health—and will continue to inform future collaboration across agencies, health systems, community organizations, and survivor leaders.
Planning Partners
This convening was made possible through partnership with:
Office of the First Partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Office of the California Surgeon General, Dr. Diana Ramos
About CPWA
The California Perinatal Wellness Alliance (CPWA) is a survivor- and community-led coalition advancing perinatal mental health through storytelling, policy and systems change, and cross-sector collaboration.
Questions?
Contact: cassie@calpwa.org
