Behavioral Health & Perinatal Mental Health Access

HUSKY covers behavioral-health services, with the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership as a dedicated navigation route for HUSKY mental-health and substance-use services. The state also funds ACCESS Mental Health and Substance Use for Moms, giving Connecticut clinicians real-time perinatal psychiatric consultation and resource and referral support for pregnant and postpartum patients up to one year after delivery, regardless of insurance. [CT-B1, CT-B2, CT-B3]

Postpartum depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis symptoms and substance-use concerns can emerge or change throughout the first year. Connecticut gives a HUSKY mother a covered treatment pathway and gives her medical provider access to perinatal psychiatric expertise. [CT-B3, CT-B4]

HUSKY members have behavioral-health benefits. ACCESS is provider-facing and available for clinicians treating pregnant and postpartum patients up to one year after delivery, regardless of patient insurance. A mother cannot initiate an ACCESS consultation herself; her treating provider must call first. [CT-B3, CT-B5]

Through HUSKY/CT BHP, covered mental-health and substance-use services are available subject to clinical rules. Through ACCESS, an OB/GYN, primary care provider, pediatric clinician or psychiatric prescriber can get diagnostic and treatment consultation from perinatal psychiatry and request resource and referral assistance. ACCESS psychiatrists do not become the treating psychiatrist. [CT-B4, CT-B5]

HUSKY coverage continues while you are eligible; postpartum HUSKY can provide a full year. ACCESS specifically supports pregnant and postpartum patients up to one year after delivery. [CT-B3]

ACCESS is free to providers and patients regardless of insurance. HUSKY behavioral-health services follow member benefit rules. [CT-B4, CT-B5]

For HUSKY treatment, call CT BHP at 1-877-552-8247 or HUSKY Member Services. If your treating clinician needs perinatal psychiatric guidance, ask them to call ACCESS at 833-978-MOMS (6667), Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. The provider must call first before the referral team can work directly with the patient. [CT-B2, CT-B5]

For HUSKY care, your member information and the type and urgency of help you need. For ACCESS, the treating provider contacts the program and discusses the clinical question; the referral team can then work directly with the patient if requested. [CT-B5]

ACCESS is not a direct psychiatric-treatment clinic and does not prescribe to the patient. It is consultation for an existing provider. HUSKY coverage also does not guarantee immediate perinatal specialist availability. [CT-B4, CT-B5]

Your maternity provider can manage treatment with ACCESS consultation while CT BHP/HUSKY covers appropriate services. Doulas and home visitors support navigation but do not replace licensed treatment.

CT BHP/HUSKY behavioral-health navigation is 1-877-552-8247. If your provider struggles to find perinatal resources, ask them to use ACCESS. The ACCESS community-resource pages also connect to crisis, peer, substance-use and community resources.

HUSKY and DSS provide free interpreters. ACCESS consultation is statewide; the language and cultural match of the actual treating provider must be checked separately.

ACCESS can support a treating Connecticut provider regardless of insurance. For crisis support call 988. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is 1-833-852-6262. [CT-B6]