"Our state is blessed with countless public and private resources, but it can be challenging to navigate while also adjusting to a changing family. Whether you are a mother-to-be or a mother of three, MAMA can quickly connect women and their children to the resources they need to thrive, including infant essentials, food, financial assistance, clothing, shelter, job opportunities and childcare." - Miss. Attorney General Lynn Fitch
(Miss. Atty General) Attorney General Lynn Fitch today unveiled the free Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) mobile app that connects pregnant women and mothers to private and public resources available across the state. Since launching the MAMA website in October 2023, over 7,200 individuals have visited the site.
“Our state is blessed with countless public and private resources, but it can be challenging 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 they need to thrive, including infant essentials, food, financial assistance, clothing, shelter, job opportunities and childcare.”
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Like the website, the new mobile app is designed with the goal of connecting mothers directly to the resources and services in three clicks or less, the mobile app, as well as website, is organized by nine categories. The list of categories and some of the services available on MAMA.MS.GOV include:
* 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 child care; learn more about child support enforcement; or find a financial planning and literacy class.
* Child Care: Locate a child care center near you or apply for financial assistance.
* Jobs: Search job openings, enroll in job training courses, or apply for financial aid for college
Tweet This: MAMA can quickly connect women and their children to the resources they need to thrive - Miss. Attorney General Lynn Fitch
Since October, General Fitch’s office has added more than 100 new resources to the service directory. 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 the MAMA program to women and families can request brochures here.
In 2023, General Fitch worked with the Mississippi State Legislature to establish the Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program (SB2781). The Office of the Attorney General was tasked with 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.
For more information, visit AttorneyGeneralLynnFitch.com/MAMA or the MAMA site at 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. Learn more about The Empowerment Project here.
Editor's note: This article was published by the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and is reprinted with permission.
