NEPA Vital Signs - Winter 2019 Spring 2020 - 19

WINTER 2019-2020

Healthy MOMS

PROGRAM ASSISTS MOTHERS-TO-BE WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER

It became the backbone off of which we developed our Healthy
MOMS program," Constantini said.

t started in Harrisburg. The Wright Center for Community
Health's Director of Behavioral Health, Scott Constantini,
was attending a meeting to discuss the organization's designation as one of Pennsylvania's Opioid Use Disorder Centers of
Excellence (OUD-COE), a state-led initiative to expand access to
medication-assisted treatment and whole-person care throughout the Commonwealth. Scott had noticed a trend of expectant
mothers entering the program and was driven to find a more effective way to address their care holistically. While at this meeting,
Scott attended a session focused on moms-to-be, including open
discussion on better ways to care for this priority population.
He asked around and came upon the Ohio-based MOMS model.

"They made everything freely available," added Maria Montoro-Edwards, PhD, The Wright Center for Community Health's
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Grants, when speaking
of her Ohio-based colleagues. "Everybody has been very gracious
about sharing their information because these initiatives were
funded with public funds. It makes sense that we share models
and best practices."

A Collaborative,
Community-based Approach

Around the same time, Barbara Durkin, Director of the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs,
learned she had received state funding extended to Single
County Authorities to aid mothers-to-be struggling with opioid
use disorder. It was a perfect fit. One short month - and a few
action-oriented meetings - later, the Healthy MOMS program
was born in Lackawanna County in Fall 2018.

Among the early participants were Maternal and Family Health
Services, Inc., Moses Taylor Hospital and Outreach Center for
Community Resources. One of the most important aspects of
the program is that moms have access to behavioral healthcare
and counseling, inclusive of supportive resources like case managers and certified recovery specialists, and peer support groups.
Most participants receive medication-assisted treatment, which
typically involves taking Subutex to block receptors in the brain
and reduce cravings. In addition to the medical care that moms
and their babies receive, partners such as Outreach Center for
Community Resources provide a range of social, educational
and legal services. Participants might also receive items such as
bassinets, car seats, hand-knit hats, gift cards and infant clothes.
Other services like assistance with transportation to and from
appointments and even, in some cases, temporary housing are
vital parts of the program.

"I had known that The Wright Center for Community Health
had been doing work in this area; so, when the funding announcement came out, we knew we were interested in a partnership."
Durkin said. "We reached out. And all the pieces kind of fell
together pretty well."

An Adaptable Model

Through this partnership, the Healthy MOMS program was
born. Reflecting an "it-takes-a-village" mindset, the Healthy
MOMS team - now comprised of hospitals, social service agencies, the legal system, treatment providers and more - aims
to provide pregnant women with opioid use disorder with the
full spectrum of medical and wrap-around resources. The team
supports participants as they cope with the dual challenges of
pregnancy/child-rearing and taming an addiction, and aims to
help participants deliver a healthy baby.

Word of mouth accounts for some of the early participation,
including a number of moms who had been incarcerated at the
Lackawanna County Prison; however, in 2019 an outreach campaign was launched and website, healthymoms.org, was established
to reinforce the uniqueness of this program as a true community
effort, not "owned" by any one individual organization.
As of September, 65 moms have engaged in the program and
24 babies have been delivered.

The program was patterned after the Ohio-based MOMS model,
a community-based collaborative. "We researched some best
practices and we thought the MOMS model was just spectacular.

N E PA

VITAL SIGNS

http://www.healthymoms.org

NEPA Vital Signs - Winter 2019 Spring 2020

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