A Collaborative Community Approach to Reducing the Risk of Child Welfare Removals for Post-Partum Women Experiencing Opioid Use Disorder
Support for women with opioid use disorder is critical in the postpartum period, which is a time of many adjustments, including sleep deprivation and the other taxing demands of caring for a newborn. In order to address these concerns, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, partnered with First Step of Sarasota (the local substance abuse/mental health community agency), Child Protective Services, First 1000 Days Sarasota, and other community partners to bring treatment to new mothers who are impacted by opioid use disorder. Collaboration between the hospital, the treatment program and the child welfare system is intended to reduce infant removal, improve mother child bonding and address the substance use and other mental health needs of the mother in a supportive and nonjudgmental manner. This presentation is intended to describe the development of the collaboration, the services and interventions provided and the outcomes of the project.