Saturday, October 12, 2024
10/12/2024
The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and its partners, (1) Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, offering services in 78 of Mississippi’s 82 counties; (2) Converge: Partners in Access; (3) Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault; (4) Mississippi State Department of Health; (5) Community Health Center Association of Mississippi, representing 21 Community Health Centers throughout Mississippi; and (6) University of Mississippi’s Center for Research Evaluation, propose to establish the SUD and IPV among Mississippi’s Moms: Initiative to Prevent and Treat (SIMM Initiative). The SIMM Initiative recognizes the interconnections between substance use disorder (SUD) and interpersonal violence (IPV) among pregnant and postnatal women, and is aware of the need to screen and treat for both. Mississippi’s mental health and SUD providers need to be trained to screen and refer for treatment those women suffering from IPV. Concomitantly, Mississippi’s community-based service providers for pregnant and postpartum women suffering from IPV need to be trained to screen and refer patients for SUD. The SIMM Initiative Team includes academic members and practitioners with expertise in identifying and treating those with SUD and IPV, nursing, public health/data science, biostatistics, and evaluation methodology, as well as state- and community-based organizations and practitioners providing services to Mississippians with a history of either SUD and/or IPV. To complete its work, the SIMM Initiative has identified seven goals and 21 SMART objectives (SMART is an acronym for “specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-oriented). The goals are to (1) establish and implement a pilot project that incentivizes SUD providers treating pregnant and postpartum women in Mississippi to be trained on identifying and addressing IPV; (2) develop and implement an SUD training program for Mississippi’s community-based IPV staff members that focuses on pregnant and postpartum women; (3) based on feedback from recipients of initial SUD and IPV training programs, revise as necessary, and disseminate widely best practices for managing co-occurring IPV and SUD among pregnant and postpartum women; (4) develop and implement statewide plan for integrating IPV and SUD protocols across healthcare settings; (5) provide technical assistance to community-based IPV programs to better accommodate the needs of pregnant and postpartum women with SUD; (6) develop and disseminate a disparity impact statement on Mississippi’s pregnant and postpartum women at risk for co-occurring SUD and IPV; and (7) monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the programs and services offered by the SIMM Initiative. Timely dissemination of its work is key to the success of the SIMM Initiative. Training courses will be provided both in person and through continuing education on web-based platforms. Its training and informational materials will be widely available and designed to be embraced by Mississippi’s general public, healthcare providers, service providers, community leaders, public health officials, and state legislators. Nationally, the SIMM Initiative will share its experiences with colleagues, other organizations attempting similar programs, and national policy leaders. Plans include a robust website, pamphlets and other materials with culturally-sensitive messaging designed for different audiences (particularly those in rural settings), training guides that are straightforward and easy to understand, and presentations designed for different audiences (e.g., community members, health care professionals, policy analysts, academic colleagues). Finally, members of the SIMM Initiative Team will present posters at professional meetings (e.g., regional and national meetings of academic societies and associations), and submit manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
