New Postpartum Depression Initiative
Jewish Family & Children’s Service Starts Postpartum Depression Initiative in the Valley
Phoenix, AZ – Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) is launching a new Postpartum Depression Initiative for Jewish women. This program is designed to educate and support Jewish women in the Phoenix community on issues relating to perinatal mood disorders including anxiety and depression during pregnancy and after the birth of a child.
Funded in part by a grant from the Jewish Women’s Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, the Postpartum Depression Initiative is a community effort through the JFCS Aleinu Network to promote awareness of perinatal mood disorders and to help those needing counseling and support due to postpartum depression to obtain it before there are serious consequences to the family.
“Postpartum depression can have a long-lasting and devastating impact on families,” says Dvora Entin, LMSW, JFCS Aleinu Network. “It is vital that we raise community awareness so that women and their families can get the help they need quickly and effectively. This project will help create a healthier Jewish community.”
JFCS plans to distribute information to 2,000 homes of women primarily in the age range of 20-50, including grandparents, in the Phoenix Jewish community. Posters will also be placed in the offices of obstetricians across the region who have agreed to assist in distributing information. Preparation of these materials is being done in collaboration with Jenny’s Light, a foundation committed to improving and saving the lives of women and their families.
From the Hebrew meaning “it is our responsibility,” the JFCS Aleinu Network reaches out to the Orthodox community and the entire Jewish Community, and offers culturally sensitive resources for strengthening individual and family life. Services include mental health education, parenting groups, therapy and intervention for children, teens, adults, couples and families who need emotional support through times of crisis.
For more information about JFCS programs and services, please visit http://www.jfcsaz.org or call 602-279-7655.