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The Saskatchewan government is putting $100,000 in new annual funding toward expanding maternal mental health supports across the province.
The money will go to the Saskatchewan Perinatal Health Network (SaskPHN), which will use the funds to develop and deliver a provincewide maternal mental health program. The program will offer free in-person and virtual peer support for new and expecting parents.
"This investment helps ensure that families across Saskatchewan have more access to mental health support during the life-changing experience of pregnancy and the birth of a baby," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr said in a statement. "We want expecting and new parents to know that free, compassionate support is available in a safe environment, where they can connect and share with other parents."
Formerly known as the Regina Perinatal Health Network, SaskPHN supports women and their partners who experience or are at risk of developing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
The province said the funding will help expand peer support services outside Regina, introduce an online booking system and increase the number of virtual appointments available.
"As a community-based organization, our goal has always been to address the feelings of social isolation many expecting and new parents face, and to connect families with trauma-informed perinatal mental health support," said SaskPHN program coordinator Lin Carr. "This funding will help us coordinate care across multiple agencies, ensuring families receive quality mental health support from prenatal stages through the first few years postpartum."
The new investment is part of a broader provincial strategy to improve maternal mental health services. Other supports include the Wellbeing Course for New and Expecting Parents, offered through the University of Regina’s Online Therapy Unit, and a Non-Birthing Parents Resource that is set to be expanded in 2025-26.
In addition, the government has increased annual funding for HealthLine 811 by $6.6 million in 2025-26. The money supports nurse and counsellor positions to handle maternal mental health, addictions and other mental health-related calls. The Ministry of Health is also working with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to establish a maternal mental health coordinator at 811.