Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) is a website that connects women and families to the countless public and private resources available in the state. Whether you’re a mother-to-be or a mother of three, MAMA.MS.GOV can help you quickly access health care services, infant essentials, clothing, food, shelter, financial assistance, child care, jobs, education, legal aid, adoption services and more. Remember, Mama, you can do this – and you are not alone!
-Attorney General Lynn Fitch
How can MAMA help you?
In 2023, the Mississippi State Legislature adopted the Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program (SB 2781). Administered by the Office of the Mississippi Attorney General, MAMA is a website and mobile app to connect pregnant women and new mothers with resources available in Mississippi.
Here are some of the resources you will find on MAMA:
- 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 and other life-affirming options.
- Food: Sign up for food benefits and assistance, locate food pantries or a community kitchen, 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.
Mississippi's Safe Haven Law
If you find yourself unable to care for your newborn, Mississippi's safe haven law allows you to safely surrender your baby 45 days or younger to a licensed adoption agency, emergency medical services (EMS) provider, or hospital emergency room without any questions or legal consequences. This includes surrendering your baby pursuant to a 911 call.
A change in the safe haven law in 2023 also makes baby boxes possible and the Long Beach Fire Station’s Safe Haven Baby Box became Mississippi’s very first. It offers a place to surrender your newborn anonymously and safely. Simpson General Hospital in Mendenhall opened up the State’s first baby box at a hospital in January 2024, Covington County Hospital opened a baby box in May 2024, and Memorial Hospital in Gulfport opened a baby box in August 2024. Additional baby boxes are planned, including one at the Gluckstadt police station in Madison County.
Long Beach Fire Station is located at 645 Klondyke Rd, Long Beach, MS 39560.
Simpson General Hospital is located at 1842 Simpson Highway 149, Mendenhall, MS 39114.
Covington County Hospital is located at 701 S Holly Ave, Collins, MS 39428.
Memorial Hospital Gulfport is located at 4500 13th Street, Gulfport, MS 39501.
Confidential counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you have questions or need to talk. Call at the National Safe Haven Crisis line at 1-866-99Baby1.
Annual Report to the Legislature
MAMA is a key component of The Empowerment Project, MS Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s policy initiative focused on empowering women and promoting strong Mississippi families. Want to learn more about The Empowerment Project, visit www.AttorneyGeneralLynnFitch.com/TheEmpowermentProject.
Download a copy of the MAMA brochure here or request printed copies here.
Download the MAMA app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Questions about MAMA? Email MAMA@ago.ms.gov.
