Woman's Hospital and United Health Foundation Launch Program to Help Expectant Mothers with Opioid Use Disorder
September 11 2018 - 6:18PM
Business Wire
- GRACE Program will provide
care-coordination services to expectant mothers with opioid
addiction during pregnancy
- United Health Foundation’s
three-year, $1.2 million grant to launch GRACE will help minimize
the adverse effects of substance misuse during pregnancy
Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge and the United Health Foundation
today announced a three-year, $1.2 million grant to launch an
innovative program at Woman’s Hospital that will help address the
needs of pregnant women with opioid addiction and their affected
newborns.
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the full release here:
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Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston
Broome helps announce the GRACE program that will help expectant
mothers with opioid use disorder as Governor John Bel Edwards and
Heather Cianfrocco, UnitedHealthcare Community & State CEO,
look on (Photo: Jeff Strout).
The new program, called “GRACE” (Guiding Recovery and Creating
Empowerment), will support expectant mothers by providing
comprehensive care-coordination services specific to their needs
during and after pregnancy. GRACE works with physicians, social
service agencies, hospitals, mental health agencies, the legal
system and other community partners to identify expectant mothers
affected by opioid misuse, and connects them to the appropriate
resources to aid in their care and recovery.
GRACE aims to reduce stigma and bias surrounding addiction and
medication-assisted treatment, provide education and training to
hospital staff, and decrease the number of neonatal intensive care
unit (NICU) admissions and length of NICU stay.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston
Broome and Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee
joined Woman’s Hospital President and CEO Teri Fontenot, and
UnitedHealthcare Community & State CEO and United Health
Foundation board member Heather Cianfrocco to announce the grant at
Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.
“Instead of the steady stream of discouraging data that we are
sadly accustomed to hearing regarding opioids, today it is my honor
and pleasure to help shine a spotlight on possible solutions to
opioid addiction,” said Gov. Edwards. “I am hopeful that smart and
patient-centered treatment options like GRACE will help turn the
tide on this enormous problem that continues to plague our state
and country. I am proud to stand with Woman’s Hospital and the
United Health Foundation as this program is introduced, which I
hope can serve as a model for the rest of the country.”
Once admitted into the GRACE program, patients will participate
in a comprehensive assessment to evaluate their medical, mental
health and psychosocial history. Once completed, participants work
with a care provider to develop a care plan specific to their
needs, followed by education on medication-assisted treatment, what
to expect in labor, breastfeeding, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
(NAS), safe sleep, safe medication storage and more. As
participants move through the program, they will receive regular
phone call follow-ups and may receive community resource support
for housing, food, transportation, education, job training and
more.
“The GRACE program helps mothers affected by opioid addiction by
providing them with a roadmap to recovery and having a healthy
baby,” said Fontenot. “Together, we are building a network to
effectively manage care for these patients, helping them receive
health education and providing support.”
Louisiana has experienced a 46.5 percent increase in drug deaths
– from 12.9 percent to 18.9 percent per 100,000 people – since
2007, according to the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health
Rankings. And the rate of pregnant women addicted to opioids at the
time of delivery has quadrupled over the past 15 years in 28 states
across the country, according to a Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention study. Maternal addiction can lead to Low Birth Weight
infants though either premature labor or through Intrauterine
Growth Restriction. Opioid exposure in the womb can have far
more serious health effects for babies due to NAS, which can cause
a high rate of neurological injury, and death due to the
neurological impact of opioid withdrawal.
“It is imperative that we help expectant mothers struggling with
opioid addiction get the support they need during and after
pregnancy for their health and that of their baby,” said
Cianfrocco. “We know this type of service is much needed across the
state, and we are eager to support Woman’s Hospital’s ongoing
efforts to help build a healthier Louisiana – one person at a
time.”
In conjunction with the event, UnitedHealthcare and Woman’s
Hospital employee volunteers assembled 200 infant starter gift
bags, which will be given to new moms entering the program. The
bags include clothes and supplies for newborns, and a resource
guide for mothers.
For more information about the GRACE program, visit
womans.org/GRACE.
About the United Health
FoundationThrough collaboration with community partners,
grants and outreach efforts, the United Health Foundation works to
improve our health system, build a diverse and dynamic health
workforce and enhance the well-being of local communities. The
United Health Foundation was established by UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH) in 1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation
dedicated to improving health and health care. To date, the United
Health Foundation has committed nearly $358 million to programs and
communities around the world. We invite you to learn more at
www.unitedhealthgroup.com/social-responsibility.html.
About Woman’s
HospitalWoman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is
one of the first specialty hospitals for women and infants. Since
opening in 1968, it has welcomed more than 300,000 babies, making
it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the
largest in Louisiana. Additionally, Woman's operates the largest
neonatal intensive care unit in the state and cares for infants who
are extremely premature, are critically ill or require surgical
intervention. The hospital is also recognized for its expertise in
mammography as well as breast and gynecologic cancer care. As a
private, nonprofit organization, all funds are reinvested into the
hospital to continue Woman's mission to improve the health of women
and infants through the latest technology, a highly qualified staff
and critical community programs and services. For more information,
visit www.womans.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180911005868/en/
UnitedHealthcareJocelyn Parker,
952-931-4265jocelyn.parker@uhc.comorWoman's HospitalDana
Michell, 504-931-2386dana.michell@womans.org
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