PHO Rounds: Public Health Perspective on Supporting Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion

Infant and early mental health (prenatal to six years) is the optimal opportunity to influence health and wellbeing outcomes across an individual’s life. This PHO Rounds session presents the evidence that supports infant and early mental health. It highlights policy and system actions that can be implemented to better support this period of development. We will explore the inequities that infants and young children experience by virtue of their developmental limitations, including variation in the capacity of those caring for infants and young children to ensure their needs are met. This Rounds highlights a unique and more intentional system approach, which is needed to support early mental health, to optimize the outcomes across a child’s lifetime.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the importance of early mental health (prenatal to six years) to lifelong health outcomes
• Recognize system gaps in supporting infant and early mental health
• Consider the policies within health care systems that can better support infant and early mental health
• Identify opportunities to actively support infant and early mental health within the health system to increase better outcomes for every child

Presenter(s): Dr. Chaya Kulkarni