Attorney General Lynn Fitch today unveiled the free Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) mobile app that connectspregnant women and mothers to private and public resources available acrossthe state. Since launching the MAMA website in October 2023, over 7,200 individuals have visited the site. Media kit available here.“Our state is blessed with countless public and private resources, but it can bechallenging to navigate while also adjusting to a changing family,” said General Fitch. “Whether you are a mother-to-be or a mother of three,MAMA can quickly connect women and their children to the resources theyneed to thrive, including infant essentials, food, financial assistance, clothing,shelter, job opportunities and childcare.
”Like the website, the new mobile app is designed with the goal of connectingmothers directly to the resources and services in three clicks or less, the mobileapp, as well as website, is organized by nine categories.
The list of categoriesand some of the services available on MAMA.MS.GOV include:
Pregnancy: Receive a free pregnancy test or ultrasound, visit a centerwith baby essentials, find a diaper bank, or take a childbirth andparenting class.Health: Enroll in Medicaid, find free health services near you, connectwith a mental health counselor, seek help for substance abuse/addiction,or download health/pregnancy/childbirth tips.
Adoption: Learn more about adoption, locate safe haven baby boxes, orexplore other life-affirming options.Food: Sign up for food benefits and assistance, locate food pantries andcommunity kitchens, or access free formula.
Goods: Find a resource center near you with car seats, strollers, cribs,diapers and wipes, maternity and infant clothing, and other householditems.
Safety: Find a domestic abuse shelter or rape crisis center, connect with a confidential counselor, or request legal aid.Money: Apply for financial assistance and government benefits for food,rent/mortgages, transportation, and child care; learn more about childsupport enforcement; or find a financial planning and literacy class.
Child Care: Locate a child care center near you or apply for financialassistance.Jobs: Search job openings, enroll in job training courses, or apply forfinancial aid for college.
Since October, General Fitch’s office has added more than 100 new resourcesto the service directory. Public, private, and faith-based entities that would liketo be added to the MAMA Service Directory can contact General Fitch’s office
here or click “List Your Service” in the upper righthand corner of the MAMAwebsite. Similarly, organizations and agencies that would like to help spreadthe word about the MAMA program to women and families can requestbrochures here.In 2023, General Fitch worked with the Mississippi State Legislature toestablish the Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program(SB2781). The Office of the Attorney General was tasked with administeringMAMA, with the assistance of a number of state agencies, including theMississippi Department of Information Technology Services, which helped tostand up the website in just three months to make the statutorily-requiredlaunch date of October 1, 2023, as well as the mobile app by the January 1,2024, deadline.
Original source can be found here.