<b>Policy brief.</b> Beyond Six Weeks: An Integrated Group Postpartum Care Model to Create a Lasting Impact

The transition from pregnancy to the postpartum period plays a critical role in the health and well-being of mothers. Without adequate knowledge, social support, and timely diagnosis, postpartum complications such as hemorrhage, hypertension, and infection often go unnoticed until they become life-threatening. At the same time, undetected mental-health issues undermine care-seeking and postnatal health, increasing the risk of maternal mortality and infant malnutrition in the first year. Nearly half of all postpartum depression cases go undetected, leaving thousands of women without the treatment they need. Oftentimes, mothers are discharged without comprehensive assessments, and postpartum education is rushed or inadequate. This policy brief presents findings from a study on the Focused Postpartum Care model in Tamale, Ghana, that significantly improved recognition of postbirth warning signs in participants and reduced positive screening rates for postpartum depression through 12 months postpartum. To replicate these outcomes nationally, we propose the following recommendations:Provide frequent postpartum visits, integrating the WHO’s recommendation of follow-up visits Extend postpartum care beyond 6 weeks to 12 monthsBuild high-level capacity in postpartum careExtend the National Health Insurance Policy to 12 monthsAdams, Yenupini Joyce, Prakriti Shakya, and John Stephen Agbenyo. Beyond Six Weeks: An Integrated Group Postpartum Care Model to Create a Lasting Impact. Keough School Policy Brief Series. Notre Dame, IN: Keough School of Global Affairs, 2026. doi.org.