Background:
To mitigate the impacts of chronic mental illness on future birth outcomes, as discussed in Women with Depression—You Can't Tell By Looking^TM (Wilen & Mounts, 2006, Maternal and Child Health Journal), innovative, community-based, culturally-relevant initiatives focused on reaching mothers during the period between pregnancies are needed to engage historically underserved and hard-to-reach populations.

Objectives:
The Madre, Hay Esperanza^TM (Mother, There is Hope) program is a community-based, Spanish-language media campaign designed to raise awareness within the Latino community about chronic mental illness in new mothers and its potential long-term effects. The Madre, Hay Esperanza^TM media campaign offers a model of how community partnerships, culturally appropriate messaging, and carefully selected information distribution methods can improve the health of women during the interconception period.

Methods:
The Madre, Hay Esperanza^TM media campaign focuses on raising awareness about postpartum depression among Latina women and their families. It is comprised of a series of radio announcements, an art poster, and a “music and message” CD that incorporates messages related to signs and symptoms of this illness and information about what can be done to help a new mother feel better. The campaign utilizes media formats and artistic expression familiar to Latinos to convey these messages.

Results:
Measures of success include the number of informational packets, posters, CDs, and other consumer-focused program materials distributed, including the number of “hits” on the Perinatal Foundation Web site for electronic versions of printed materials. For example, through June 15, 2007, program partners distributed over 100 informational packets to consumers. The results of questionnaires and call-in radio programming demonstrate the growing awareness within the community that untreated, chronic mental illness profoundly affects the health of mothers, babies, and their families.

Conclusion and implications for practice:
The Madre, Hay Esperanza^TM campaign stems from the partnership of local media, a special population, and community partners. This approach, advocated by the Benton Foundation and its Sound Partners for Community Health and subsequent New Routes to Community Health programs, represents a new health education/promotion model.