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Physicians and advanced practice providers
Home visitors
Behavioral health clinicians
Other Professionals working with pregnant and postpartum people
Resources and referral support
Practitioner-to practitioner case consultation
Training or technical assistance needs related to perinatal mental health and substance use
Erin Bider, MD
KCC Psychiatric Consultant
Dr. Bider is a peripartum psychiatrist based at the University of Kansas Health System. She serves as a psychiatric consultant to clinicians through the Provider Consultation Line for Perinatal Behavioral Health. Dr. Bider attended medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). At UAMS, she trained in the Resident Academic Track, which allowed her to specialize in peripartum psychiatry during her training. Dr. Bider returned to Kansas City in 2021 to create the Maternal Mental Health Clinic at KU. She specializes in caring for pregnant and postpartum women with a variety of mental health concerns, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Dr. Bider is passionate about expanding access to mental health services for this vulnerable patient population and is excited to work with KCC to serve women across Kansas.
Tara Chettiar, MD, PMH-C, FACOG
Dr. Chettiar is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of Kansas Health System. She completed her bachelors in Psychology and then attended medical school at Creighton University. She completed her OB/GYN residency at the University of Missouri, Kansas City then going on to practice in the KC area for 7 years before returning to academics at the University of Kansas where she serves as the Assistant Program Director for the OB/GYN residency program. Through her years of work in obstetrics, Dr. Chettiar repeatedly saw the impact that mental health had on her patients and their families. She completed further training to receive her Perinatal Mental Health Certification as a provider and aside from her work as a general OB/GYN also runs a Maternal Mental Health Clinic at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. Dr. Chettiar is passionate about her care for her pregnant and postpartum patients and also serves on the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, in the hopes that through this and the improvement of perinatal mental health we can combat the tragic rise of maternal mortality. Dr. Chettiar lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two sons.
KCC Resource and Referral Specialist*
*More information coming soon*
Psychiatric Consultation and Care Coordination
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Need Support Now?
Call the Perinatal Provider Consultation Line for Behavioral Health.
1-800-332-6262 or visit KCC Request Form (kumc.edu)
Weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Services are provided at no cost to providers serving perinatal patients in Kansas including Resource and Referral Support, Psychiatric Consultations, and Direct Telehealth Assessments for Patients.
The Perinatal Provider Consultation Line for Behavioral Health supports providers in addressing the mental health and substance use needs of their perinatal patients.
The Provider Consultation Line is a free resource for Kansas:
Providers can access the Consultation Line for:
Meet Our Team
The consultation line is staffed by a variety of clinicians with training and expertise in perinatal mental health and substance use treatment.
KCC Clinical Consultants:
Case Consultations
Erin Bider, MD
KCC Psychiatric Consultant
Dr. Bider is a peripartum psychiatrist based at the University of Kansas Health System. She serves as a psychiatric consultant to clinicians through the Provider Consultation Line for Perinatal Behavioral Health. Dr. Bider attended medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). At UAMS, she trained in the Resident Academic Track, which allowed her to specialize in peripartum psychiatry during her training. Dr. Bider returned to Kansas City in 2021 to create the Maternal Mental Health Clinic at KU. She specializes in caring for pregnant and postpartum women with a variety of mental health concerns, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Dr. Bider is passionate about expanding access to mental health services for this vulnerable patient population and is excited to work with KCC to serve women across Kansas.
Tara Chettiar, MD, PMH-C, FACOG
Dr. Chettiar is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of Kansas Health System. She completed her bachelors in Psychology and then attended medical school at Creighton University. She completed her OB/GYN residency at the University of Missouri, Kansas City then going on to practice in the KC area for 7 years before returning to academics at the University of Kansas where she serves as the Assistant Program Director for the OB/GYN residency program. Through her years of work in obstetrics, Dr. Chettiar repeatedly saw the impact that mental health had on her patients and their families. She completed further training to receive her Perinatal Mental Health Certification as a provider and aside from her work as a general OB/GYN also runs a Maternal Mental Health Clinic at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. Dr. Chettiar is passionate about her care for her pregnant and postpartum patients and also serves on the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, in the hopes that through this and the improvement of perinatal mental health we can combat the tragic rise of maternal mortality. Dr. Chettiar lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two sons.
KCC Resource and Referral Specialist*
*More information coming soon*
Help Needed! Perinatal Mental Health Resource
Kansas Connecting Communities (KCC) and PSI Kansas have teamed up to develop a state-wide directory of perinatal mental health treatment providers and resources. The directory will be utilized by PSI Kansas coordinators and the Perinatal Provider Consultation Line staff in order to assist help-seekers who contact these organizations.
Are you a perinatal mental health treatment provider or a professional with expertise in serving this population? Apply today to be a part of this directory, making it easier for PSI Kansas coordinators and the KCC Consultation Line to connect help-seekers to your services.
Application link: https://forms.gle/epBvaXF2iroH1i2D8
The form will take about 20 minutes to complete. We encourage all individuals, regardless of experience or profession, to fill out the form. We are interested in your contribution to perinatal mental health in Kansas, whether that be as a perinatal mental health champion, community organizer, or professional working with the perinatal population. We will contact you by email if we need additional information.
FAQ
How does the Provider Consultation Line Work?
Health care and social service providers can call 1-800-332-6262 (or use the web form), toll free Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. Inquiries will be answered by the KCC Resource and Referral Specialist, who will gather information to assess your patient's needs and help determine the best next steps. This could include a same-day resources support or scheduling a tele-consultation with a member of the KCC Consultant Team.
What Services are Avaliable through the Consultation Line?
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Resource and Referral Assistance:
- Support identifying and referring to mental health or substance use assessment for perinatal clients following positive screening.
- Answer questions and offer best practice recommendations related to perinatal behavioral health identification and intervention .
- Coordinate scheduling a practitioner-to-practitioner case consultation with the KCC Clinical Consultant Team to support treatment recommendations.
- Diagnostic Support.
- Treatment Planning.
- Medication and dosage recommendations.
- Targeted training and technical assistance to support perinatal screening, assessment, and referrals to treatment.
- Telehealth integration (infrastructure and direct services).
- Access to information on continuing education or scholarship funds for additional professional development training
Practitioner-to Practitioner Consultation:
Training and Technical Assistance:
What Happens when I Contact the Provider Consultation Line?
Calls and emails received during hours of operation (weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) will responded to by the KCC Resource and Referral Specialist. Inquiries received after hours will be returned within 24-hours or the next business day. The Resource and Referral Specialist will gather information to support your inquiry including the patient's perinatal status, screening results (if applicable), and primary reason for call. The Resource and Referral Specialist will then coordinate appropriate next steps to best meet you and your client's needs.
No protected health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII) will be collected for referral and case consultation support.
No protected health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII) will be collected for referral and case consultation support.
In Kansas, we believe all moms deserve access to the mental and behavioral health supports they need to thrive. Kansas Connecting Communities (KCC) is a five-year collaborative initiative between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program and several state and local partners. KCC aims to improve the mental health and well-being of pregnant and postpartum women through increased screening, timely assessment, effective referrals and reducing barriers to accessing treatment. KCC is focused on building provider capacity to treat and refer perinatal clients through access to psychiatric consultations, telehealth, peer support referrals, technical assistance and training opportunities.
