Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana's Canal Pointe: Family-First Residential Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women - Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana (VOASELA) will expand comprehensive, family-centered residential substance use disorder treatment for pregnant and postpartum women and their children through its program at Canal Pointe. Serving New Orleans and a 16-parish region, the project will provide evidence-based treatment that allows mothers and children to remain together while addressing substance use, behavioral health, maternal health, parenting, and long-term recovery. The project will improve access to life-saving treatment, strengthen families, and advance recovery through coordinated clinical care, recovery support, and partnerships. VOASELA will serve pregnant and postpartum women age 18 and older, with substance use disorders, along with their children ages 0–12. The service area encompasses approximately 2.0 million residents across Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James, St. Tammany, Washington, Tangipahoa, Livingston, Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, Terrebonne, and St. Mary Parishes. The project will provide services to 33 unduplicated women during Year 1, 80 women annually during Years 2–5, and 353 unduplicated women over the five-year project period, and their eligible children. Participants present with complex clinical needs, including high-acuity polysubstance use disorders involving opioids, cocaine, alcohol, and other substances. Approximately 75 percent are expected to receive medication-assisted treatment (MOUD/MAUD), and approximately 75 percent are anticipated to have co-occurring mental health disorders. Many participants also face significant social challenges, including involvement with child welfare or the justice system, housing instability, limited financial resources, and barriers to accessing prenatal care and long-term recovery services. Grant-funded services will provide a comprehensive continuum of evidence-based care beginning within four months of award. Women will receive residential substance use disorder treatment, medication-assisted treatment through DePaul Community Health Centers, individual, group, and family counseling, trauma-informed behavioral health services, recovery support, peer mentoring, comprehensive case management, parenting education, and coordinated prenatal and postpartum healthcare through CrescentCare. Eligible children will receive developmentally appropriate trauma-informed services while residing with their mothers. Evidence-based interventions include Medications for Opioid and Alcohol Use Disorders (MOUD/MAUD), Contingency Management, Seeking Safety, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and the Nurturing Parenting Program. Implementation fidelity will be supported through VOASELA's NIATx continuous quality improvement framework. The project seeks to increase timely access to residential treatment, improve treatment engagement and retention, promote sustained recovery, strengthen parenting capacity, improve maternal and child health outcomes, and support successful family reunification when appropriate. Key objectives include initiating all required services within four months of award, ensuring comprehensive assessment and individualized treatment planning for all participants remaining in treatment longer than 72 hours, expanding access to prenatal and postpartum healthcare, implementing evidence-based practices with fidelity, and reporting 100 percent of required performance measures through SAMHSA's Performance Accountability and Reporting System (SPARS). Through integrated clinical care, coordinated community partnerships, and continuous quality improvement, VOASELA will advance SAMHSA's priorities of recovery, evidence-based practice, family-centered care, and data-driven accountability while improving outcomes for women, children, and families across Southeast Louisiana.
