More than 155 babies have been born to women enrolled in the Healthy MOMS program, a multi-agency effort in Northeast Pennsylvania to help moms-to-be who have substance use disorders.
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Wright Center program helps moms-to-be who have substance use disorders
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SCRANTON — Before she got help, Jennifer was shoeless, homeless, pregnant and uncertain as to whether she could even care for herself, much less a baby.
The 35-year-old had been using illegal substances for about half her life at the time in mid-2019 when she was urged to contact the region’s newly established Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support program, known simply as Healthy MOMS.
“After I met with a Healthy MOMS case manager, it was life-changing,” says Jennifer, whose last name has been omitted to protect her privacy. “It sounds corny, but it was. I never expected to be where I’m at today and marking 17 months of sobriety. Everything is different.”
The program aims to help women in Northeast Pennsylvania overcome addiction and embrace a life in recovery. Participants such as Jennifer are offered blanket services that include medication-assisted treatment and addiction services, counseling, primary health care, OB-GYN care, parenting tips, legal advice and a range of other supports. The community-based program promotes the well-being of both mom and newborn, ideally engaging them both in services until the child turns 2 years old.
The Healthy MOMS program has served mothers as young as 14, but most are in their late 20s and 30s. Its success relies on the involvement of dozens of social service organizations, government agencies and health care providers, including The Wright Center for Community Health, a co-founding member.
“Since its launch three years ago, the collaborative Healthy MOMS program has become a widely recognized and respected resource for women who face the dual challenge of coping with a substance use disorder and juggling the complexities of raising a young child,” says Maria Kolcharno, The Wright Center’s director of addiction services and a key leader of the Healthy MOMS program.
Among its developments:
● The multicounty Healthy MOMS program has significantly expanded its service area. It began as a pilot program in two counties, with initial grant funding secured by the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Today, it assists women from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
● So far, more than 155 babies have been born to women enrolled in the program. Evidence suggests that mothers who join the Healthy MOMS program and participate in recovery services well before their delivery dates are less likely to give birth to babies who experience neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS is a painful and costly medical condition caused when a newborn withdraws from opioids or other drugs that the baby had been exposed to in the womb.
● The Wright Center has added case managers to serve more moms-to-be, especially women in rural areas. A free dental clinic was recently conducted at The Wright Center’s Hawley Practice in rural Wayne County for participating mothers and their family members.
● The Healthy MOMS program’s ability to help women and their families has been fueled by generous grant support from private, state and federal entities, including the AllOne Foundation, Direct Relief, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
● In an encouraging sign, women enrolled in the Healthy MOMS program have achieved good results in terms of length of sobriety compared to their peers in other programs, according to The Wright Center’s preliminary data analysis. This was particularly true during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team behind the Healthy MOMS program has witnessed failures during the ongoing opioid crisis; the struggle to overcome a substance use disorder can involve setbacks and tragedies. Yet the team remains dedicated to assisting pregnant and postpartum women on the journey toward recovery, pausing to celebrate each woman’s personal milestones.
A collective venture from the start, Healthy MOMS would not be an effective project without the substantial and sustained contributions of community partners in each of the counties in which it is active. To all those involved, it is more than a mere program – it is a potentially life-altering labor of love.
For more information about the Healthy MOMS program, visit healthymoms.org or call 570-955-7821.