FY 2023 State Pilot Program for Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women(Short Title: PPW-PLT) - State Pilot Program for Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women (Short Title: PPW-PLT) The Maryland Department of Health, Behavioral Health Administration (MDH-BHA) is the lead applicant for a five-site targeted pilot intervention to support pregnant and parenting women in recovery from substance and/or opioid use disorders successfully transition to community life. The proposed project, Strengthening Families in Recovery will enroll 750 women over three years (250 per year, unduplicated) and provide wrap-around supports to deepen protective factors for families, while removing barriers to encourage lasting recovery for women. Participants will remain in the program for up to 12-months and follow up post discharge will be conducted every three months for one year. Strengthening Families in Recovery is designed as a holistic, community-based intervention that will leverage existing efforts in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, Washington County, and Worcester County as led by Local Behavioral Health Authorities. With additional funding, MDH-BHA will implement the Evidence-based Program (EBP), Strengthening Families, and fund (number) Recovery Support Coordinators (RSC), Pregnant Parenting Women (PPW) Navigators, and Family Support Coaches (FSC) focused on addressing administrative barriers such as criminal histories, access to financial services, transportation, childcare, safety net programs, and job readiness. Through this pilot initiative, MDH-BHA seeks to demonstrate how combining an evidence-based family strengthening program with support to address administrative barriers to recovery and community life can help PPW succeed. Strengthening Families in Recovery will focus its efforts in rural, suburban, and urban communities, each struggling with the rise of opioid addiction and the resulting family dysfunction. According to 2022 estimates from NSDUH, there are nearly 30,000 women with SUD/OUD with children, across the state. U.S. Census data demonstrates the challenges of these communities, with high rates of poverty, disability, and women outside of the labor force. Drug use, along with the burden of criminal records related to women's drug addiction, histories of trauma and domestic violence compound personal shame and perceived stigma. MDH-BHA's Strengthening Families in Recovery initiative recognizes that a comprehensive model must be inclusive of clinical and community support, while also providing opportunities for family strengthening work and removal of administrative barriers that can easily derail clinical progress. With these factors in mind, the proposed projects has identified three goal and aligned objectives. First, engage and enroll families in the Strengthening Families program where they can identify and build on evidence-based factors that support the whole family. Second, remove administrative barriers such as criminal records through the expungement process. Third, help women navigator and resolve issues such as negative credit histories, outstanding financial debt, access to benefits like food stamp, and getting job ready by accessing resources in the workforce system from the Workforce Investment System to local nonprofit like Dress for Success.
