OCCMHA Launches New SUD Specialty Services Program for Pregnant Women

Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority (OCCMHA) is announcing a new program called Enhancing Treatment Services to Pregnant Women. The goal of the program is to implement innovative treatment and support strategies that improve outcomes for families affected by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome/Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal (NAS/NOW), impacting persons in treatment for opioid dependence.

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to promote, protect, and implement advanced substance use treatment and support strategies that benefit families affected by NAS/NOW,” said Christina Nicholas, administrator of OCCMHA’s Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Treatment Services. “This important initiative allows us to provide pregnant women access to quality specialty substance use services that promote recovery and improved health.”

OCCMHA will contract with Oakland Family Services (OFS) to provide Enhancing Treatment Services to Pregnant Women. OFS has a proven capability to meet all program components, including enrollment, treatment services, pregnancy care, and parent education/child related services. OFS is also a State designated Women’s Specialty Services facility and a long-standing member of OCCMHA’s core provider service network.

"Oakland Family Services is pleased to be able to continue to partner with OCCMHA to increase access to substance abuse treatment services for pregnant women and mothers," said Oakland Family Services President and CEO Jaimie Clayton. "This expansion grant will allow us to provide more outreach and critical services to women so they are able to focus on leading a substance-free lifestyle and also able to more fully engage in the healthy parenting of their children."

The new program, funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to eliminate as many potential barriers as possible in order to maximize a woman’s chances for successful recovery. Pregnant women are a priority population of concern per MDHHS and the federal government.

In 2015, there were 900 pregnant women admitted to treatment, as reported by Michigan’s Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs). 71% of pregnant women admitted to treatment indicated heroin or other opiates as their primary drug of choice. The majority of these infants will show symptoms of NAS/NOW within 48 hours of birth and require hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The most recent data available for NAS/NOW hospitalizations, 2014, indicates that there were 1,015 infants hospitalized as a result of NAS/NOW.

About OCCMHA

Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority is the public mental health system responsible for identifying, influencing, and delivering services and supports to approximately 25,000 Oakland County residents, including individuals with intellectual/developmental

disabilities, adults with mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance, and persons with substance use disorders. Most of these individuals have Medicaid.

OCCMHA’s current network of service providers include: Common Ground, Community Housing Network, Community Living Services, Community Network Services, Easter Seals Michigan, Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, Oakland Family Services, Inc., and Training and Treatment Innovations. A complete list of substance use service providers is available on OCCMHA’s website. For more information about OCCMHA call (800) 341-2003 or visit www.occmha.org.

About OFS

Oakland Family Services is a private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) serving the community since 1921 and dedicated to providing individuals and families the opportunity to build brighter futures. The agency’s prevention, education and treatment services touch the lives of more than 30,000 individuals throughout southeastern Michigan every year. The agency has offices in Pontiac, Berkley, Rochester Hills and Walled Lake. For more information visit www.oaklandfamilyservices.org.