SUCCESS STORY
Perinatal Hope Program
POWER was recruited to partner with the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) on an innovative new project, the Perinatal Hope Program (PHP), a unique mother and baby recovery program at several of the network's hospitals, designed to enhance care for pregnant women struggling with substance use disorders. PHP offers prenatal care, Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), drug and alcohol treatment, parenting education, and delivery and postpartum care all in the same setting. While AHN delivers medical and supportive services, POWER offers the drug and alcohol treatment; screening and assessment, treatment planning, and individual and group therapy. POWER also offers women in the program a Mentor who provides recovery coaching.
POWER's mission is to help women reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction to alcohol and other drugs, and reduce the incidence of addiction in future generations.
Project Goals
The Perinatal Hope Program seeks to provide maximum support to pregnant women who suffer with a substance use disorder through a set of comprehensive services such as, prenatal OBGYN visits, counseling sessions, MAT treatment, and parenting education by offering them all one central location. The program seeks to define a new way to provide treatment and ultimately lead to better outcomes for moms and babies.
POWER’s role is to provide drug and alcohol counseling.
Strategies & Results
POWER works with the Perinatal Hope Program in a variety of ways to help women succeed in their goals and help them to reclaim their lives. The first step is to provide screenings and assessments that connect the woman with the most appropriate program to best meet her needs.
A weekly group therapy session lead by a master-level clinician experienced in treating women on Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), allows the women in the program to support each other and reduce feelings of isolation and alienation. In addition to group therapy the participants receive a bio-psychosocial evaluation, individualized treatment planning, discharge/ aftercare planning and peer recovery support.
Every client in the PHP program is offered a Mentor to help strengthen their commitment to treatment and the recovery process. Mentors have “lived experience“ with a minimum of 5 years personal recovery from a substance use disorder. POWER mentors, credentialed as Certified Recovery Specialists and trained as Wellness Coaches, help women connect to the recovering community and to community-based services as needed.
During the programs first year POWER provided 101 individual counseling sessions to women who participated in the program with 50% of clients continuing outpatient treatment after graduation from the Perinatal Hope Program.