AHN Women's Behavioral Health: 412-578-4030  |  Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-800-SUICIDE

West Penn Hospital

West Penn Hospital

4800 Friendship Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Office Phone: 412.578.4030
West Penn Hospital Main Operator: 412.578.5000

The Alexis Joy Foundation is proud to announce our first location, The Alexis Joy Center. In conjunction with AHN and West Penn Hospital, families from around the region can talk to and immediately find the support they are looking for.
For more information, call 412-578-4030.
If you are interested in getting an appointment, call 412-526-9520.

The Alexis Joy Center

Our journey to creating this center was inspired by one woman. One woman who, unfortunately, did not survive her own battle with postpartum depression. Her name was Alexis Joy.

Alexis Joy had what seemed like a perfect pregnancy. She was her usual energetic, happy self, and her husband Steven described it as seamless. They had long dreamed of having a little girl and were enthusiastically preparing. But, shortly after baby Adriana’s traumatic birth, Alexis began to struggle. Stressed and anxious, she felt like she wasn’t connecting with the baby. She was convinced her daughter was connecting with others, but not her. She had trouble breastfeeding, trouble sleeping, trouble keeping the tears from coming every morning after long, sleepless weeks. She was certain she saw signs that the birth had hurt the baby, which only caused her more distress. Five weeks after giving birth, Alexis was ten pounds lighter than her pre-pregnancy weight. A week later, she took her own life. She was 30, and her daughter was six weeks old.

The Alexis Joy Center

Motivated by the desire to make sure no other family has to go through what they did, Steven and Allegheny Health Network have come together to create a better solution. As he likes to say, “I really work on building a legacy for my daughter, so that she can be proud of her mom, because she’s saving lives.”

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