AG Fitch Celebrates Third Anniversary of MAMA

Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA), a free website and mobile app that connects pregnant women and mothers to private, public and faith-based resources available across the state, recently celebrated its third anniversary. Since launching the MAMA website in October 2023, over 27,000 individuals have visited the website for a total of 88,000 hits. Over 1,000 users have downloaded the mobile app since it went live January 1, 2024.

“MAMA is just one of the ways that Mississippi is helping to stand in the gap to both empower women and promote life. I am grateful for this opportunity to show women that they are not alone. We care about their wellbeing and success and want to help them and their families flourish," said Attorney Lynn General Fitch.

In 2023, General Fitch worked with the Mississippi State Legislature to

establish MAMA (SB 2781). Her office was tasked with creating and administering MAMA, with the assistance of a number of state agencies, including the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, which helped to stand up the website in just three months to make the statutorily-required launch date of October 1, 2023, as well as the mobile app by the January 1, 2024, deadline.

MAMA is designed with the goal of connecting mothers directly to needed resources and services in three clicks or less, which are organized by nine categories:

• Pregnancy: Receive a free pregnancy test or ultrasound, visit a center with baby essentials, find a diaper bank, or take a childbirth and parenting class.

• Health: Enroll in Medicaid, find free health services near you, connect with 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, or explore other life-affirming options.

• Food: Sign up for food benefits and assistance, locate food pantries and community 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 household items.

• 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 childcare; learn more about child support enforcement; or find a financial planning and literacy class.

• Child Care: Locate a childcare center near you or apply for financial assistance.

• Jobs: Search job openings, enroll in job training courses, or apply for financial aid for college.

  
  

Over 400 resources have been added to the Service Directory, and efforts continue to outreach to add additional resources. Public, private, and faith-based entities that would like to 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 MAMA website. Similarly, organizations and agencies that would like to help spread the word about MAMA to women and families can request brochures here.

For more information, visit MAMA.MS.GOV or download the app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

MAMA is a key component of The Empowerment Project, General Fitch’s initiative to empower women and their children. Read more about the five pillars of The Empowerment Project here.