Gina Arias is working with the Maternal Justice Team at MomsRising to advocate for policy changes and greater resources for maternal mental health. She has over 25 years of experience in public health focused on program management, community engagement, partnership-building, training, health education, policy, and advocacy. Her work has primarily centered on sexual and reproductive health, maternal health equity, and HIV/AIDS. She became a Registered Nurse in 2015.
Blog Post List

September 13, 2023
Within the past year, there has been some progress in the area of maternal mental health in the United States and there appears to be more on the horizon. The FDA has recently approved the first, and only, oral medication for postpartum depression (PPD). Zurzuvae (zuranolone) is a 14-day treatment that has shown results as early as day 3 of treatment, in some study patients. This medication could be publicly available as early as October. New tools are certainly needed because maternal mental health disorders like postpartum depression are so common. One in five women report NOT being...
MomsRising
Education Fund

June 12, 2023
Recently a bipartisan deal kept the U.S. from the brink of economic disaster and saved millions of jobs….but there was a price to pay for that: further time restrictions and harsh work requirements were passed for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) and TANF. Many Republicans in Congress have already revealed that they will not be stopping there–they plan to place further restrictions and barriers to access for struggling people and families in the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. On face value work requirements may sound reasonable enough, but we know–and...
MomsRising
Together

May 1, 2023
It is often the stories that we don’t share that are amongst the most important ones. I know that after I gave birth to my son 21 years ago no one knew that I was hardly eating and regularly crying both in private and in public. It was only years later that I felt comfortable sharing that with others. And yet it might have helped me, and other women, to open up about what I was going through . That way I may have been able to receive the proper support as well as help other new mothers to not feel so alone. The fact is that entry into parenthood is not always peaches and cream. No matter how...
MomsRising
Education Fund

February 16, 2023
"I suffered from terrible postpartum depression. My doctor didn't discuss it with me and I didn't know what was happening to me." --Lois Lois is just like so many moms who struggle after giving birth. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can, and we must, do better!
MomsRising
Together

February 3, 2023
Famous children’s author Dr. Seuss wrote “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” But not so much in Florida. Under a Florida law that went into effect in July 2022, all books in elementary school libraries must be reviewed by a certified media specialist. This includes much loved classroom collections for independent reading. As a result, Florida teachers are increasingly being told that they should remove books or they risk being charged with a third-degree felony.
MomsRising
Education Fund

January 17, 2023
They say teamwork makes the dream work. We are set to find out how that concept will unfold on the issue of maternal mental health in the United States. With your help, the bipartisan TRIUMPH for New Moms Act (“TRIUMPH”) ( H.R.4217 / S.2779 ) and Into the Light For Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Act ( H.R.7073 / S .3824) passed Congress in its end-of-year omnibus. This progress towards addressing maternal mental health is due in part to your calls, your emails, and your voice in supporting new families! TRIUMPH will promote federal collaboration between agencies and...
MomsRising
Together

June 27, 2022
You are not alone. That’s what the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) wants new parents to know. Last month, HRSA launched a 24-hour maternal mental health hotline (1-833-TLC-MAMA or 1-833-852-6262) which offers free and confidential access to professional counselors that provide mental health support, resources, and referrals to pregnant and postpartum mothers and their loved ones. It is a resource I wish that I’d had when I gave birth to my son 20 years ago. For months after he was born I was barely eating and crying all the time and everywhere. It wasn’t until years later...
MomsRising
Together