IN to expand program for mothers with substance-use disorders

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say Indiana will expand its Pregnancy Promise Program to support more expectant and new mothers with substance use disorders.

Officials say the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) received a three-year, up to $2.7 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which will allow it to support an additional 300 pregnant Hoosiers over the next three years, with a focus on those living in rural and under-resourced communities.

FSSA says the grant will expand services for pregnant and postpartum individuals with a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder; remove barriers and expand outpatient treatment and recovery support services for pregnant and postpartum individuals with a substance use disorder and promote a coordinated system of care across health care and family support providers.

“The program’s multigenerational approach supports pregnant women and infants from the prenatal period through 12 months postpartum,” FSSA Secretary Dr. Dan Rusyniak said. “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.”

Officials say while maternal and infant mortality rates are decreasing slightly across Indiana, data from the most recent Indiana Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s annual report shows substance use disorder and overdose continue to be a leading cause of maternal death in the state.

FSSA says the program has resulted in high rates of sustained recovery for mothers, continuity of medications prescribed to treat opioid use disorder, prevention of preterm births, healthy infant birth weights and access to resources to address unmet health-related and social needs, including stable housing, transportation, food security and child care, leading to family preservation and reunification.

“We are excited about this grant, which will bolster and expand FSSA’s existing program for pregnant individuals suffering from substance use,” Pregnancy Promise program manager Elizabeth Wahl said. “The program’s goals are clear: to save infant and maternal lives, preserve family units by securing needed resources, ensure reliable access to appropriate care, and put an end to generational cycles of substance use and trauma. This program has witnessed families persevere, transform their lives, and find hope for the future.”

The FSSA says it will partner with Centerstone, a community mental health center, and VOA Fresh Start, a residential treatment program, to enhance services. This funding will allow uninsured and underinsured pregnant individuals access to additional support. Anyone can make a confidential referral to the Pregnancy Promise Program here .

Officials say the program has been funded with a five-year award from the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation, which ends December 31. This grant is scheduled to begin on September 30.

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