Dr. Joanne Patterson, recipient of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Award for Innovation, brings maternal and infant mental health care together by telehealth for families in Maryland, Washington, DC, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Nationwide — Dr. Joanne Patterson, DNP, MSN, PMHNP-BC, APHN-BC, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and founder of Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, LLC, has launched a maternal-infant mental health model in which a mother and her child, from birth through age 5, are each enrolled as patients in their own right and cared for together by one reproductive psychiatric nurse practitioner during a single virtual visit. After reviewing published models of mother-infant care, Patterson found no other independent private practice in the United States delivering care this way.
Across the country, a struggling mother and her baby are usually cared for separately, if at all. A mother may be screened for depression and referred elsewhere, while concerns about her baby’s sleep, feeding, or ability to be soothed are often expected to resolve on their own. The stakes are high: according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health conditions, including suicide and overdose, were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States in 2022, accounting for more than one in four.
“A baby cannot tell you that something is wrong,” said Patterson. “It shows up in how he sleeps, how he eats, how easily he can be settled, and in the relationship with the person holding him. When a mother is struggling, her baby is living inside that struggle too. A mother’s mental health impacts her infant’s mental health. I built this model so that neither one is cared for alone.”
Through virtual visits from home, mothers receive mental health evaluation and treatment during pregnancy and after birth, including medication management when appropriate. Their children receive infant and early childhood mental health assessments, including early autism screening, with attention to sleep, feeding, settling, behavior, and the parent-child relationship simultaneously. Each patient has their own record and plan of care. The model works alongside pediatric and obstetric care rather than replacing it; every child keeps their own pediatrician.
“Mothers should not have to choose between caring for themselves and caring for their babies,” Patterson said. “And babies deserve to be seen as patients, not only observed through their mothers.” The practice is in network with major commercial insurance plans and also offers self-pay options.
About Dr. Joanne Patterson
Dr. Joanne Patterson is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse. A former perinatal nurse who worked in antepartum, mother-baby, and newborn nursery care, she has treated pregnant and postpartum mental health patients since 2019. Her mobile mental health clinic, Nurse Practitioners on Wheels®, earned her the 2025 American Psychiatric Nurses Association Award for Innovation (Individual) and was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show. She is the immediate past International Stork’s Nest Prenatal Education & Incentives Director of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Patterson was born and raised on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
About Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, LLC
Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, LLC is a telehealth practice providing women’s, maternal, and pediatric mental health care in Maryland, Washington, DC, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at drjoannepsychiatrynp.com or on Instagram at @DrJoannePsychiatryNP
Notes to Editors:
Dr. Patterson is available for interviews. High-resolution photos are available on request. Source for maternal mortality data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pregnancy-Related Deaths: Data From Maternal Mortality Review Committees, 2022.