MOMS FOR MOMS TO HONOR DR. MARGARET HOWARD

East Providence, March 26, 2014 – As part of its efforts to improve the quality of life for families in Rhode Island, Family First Rhode Island’s “Moms for Moms” Spring Gala fundraiser will recognize Dr. Margaret Howard, who champions the diagnosis and proper treatment of postpartum depression. The Gala will feature the screening of the documentary film Raise the Curtain: Moving Through Darkness by Rhode Island director Soren Sorensen. The film, making its world premiere, explores the experiences of mothers overcoming postpartum depression. The documentary features the original choreography by Dr. Colleen Cavanaugh. The Spring Gala will take place on May 3 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. at the Greenwich Odeum, 59 Main Street, East Greenwich, R.I.. All proceeds support the outreach and mentoring efforts of Moms for Moms.

Honoree Margaret Howard, Ph.D., an East Providence resident, is a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School. She is also the director of the Women & Infant’s Day Hospital, which has received national acclaim for its innovative treatment approaches for pregnant and postpartum women. Her research interests center on postpartum mood disorders, mother-infant attachment, and perinatal anxiety disorders.

“Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbirth, yet it remains widely misunderstood and under-recognized,” said Howard. “Too often, women suffer silently. Those who have felt the impact of postpartum depression personally, as family, as friends, and as caregivers must endeavor to speak in one voice, loudly, that postpartum depression exists, deserves recognition, and, most of all, is treatable.”

Moms for Moms Clinical and Program Director Sally Harrison said, “Dr. Margaret Howard has been a friend of our organization for years. We feel strongly that she needs to be recognized and honored for her work with women who are pregnant and postpartum and for establishing a remarkable Day Hospitial Program that is a model for similar programs around the country.”

About Families First RI’s “Moms for Moms” Program

Launched in 2007, Moms for Moms brings a long under-diagnosed medical condition to the forefront, providing in-home psychiatric evaluations, treatment referrals, social support, and parenting education to women experiencing or at risk for postpartum depression. The community-based nonprofit organization addresses the challenges of postpartum adjustment and the risks of maternal depression by arranging weekly home visits between “mentor moms” and pregnant women or mothers of newborns. The program also provides emotional and social support to moms, while connecting them to community resources to address maternal and child health, behavioral health, nutrition, safety, education, and development. For more information, contact Sally Harrison at sally@familiesfirstri.org, call 401-383-9933, or visit FamiliesFirstRI.org.