A statewide program to support pregnant people and new parents with substance use disorders received nearly $3 million in federal funding to expand. The Pregnancy Promise Program expects to use the funding to prioritize rural and under-resourced communities.
The Pregnancy Promise Program launched in 2021 to provide support to pregnant Medicaid members who have substance use disorders through their first year postpartum.
The program helps connect pregnant Hoosiers to recovery programs, prenatal health care and mental health treatment. It also helps connect participants to wrap-around services for stable housing, transportation, food security and child care.
The Indiana Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s 2023 annual report showed substance use disorder and overdose continue to be a leading cause of maternal deaths.
About 94 percent of Pregnancy Promise Program participants achieved sustained recovery while enrolled and 83 percent of infants were born at a healthy birth weight with shorter hospital stays, according to the program’s 2023 annual report.
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In a news release, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said the grant will expand services — it hopes to reach an additional 300 participants over the next three years. FSSA Secretary Dr. Dan Rusyniak said in a statement the program takes a “multigenerational approach.”
“Not only are we helping mothers find treatment and sustain recovery, but we also ensure infants have an established pediatrician, appropriate referrals to pediatric specialists as needed, and developmental support services,” Rusyniak said.
With the new grant, FSSA is also partnering with community mental health center Centerstone and residential treatment program VOA Fresh Start to help uninsured and underinsured Hoosiers access additional support.
Lauren is our digital editor. Contact her at lchapman@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @laurenechapman_ .
