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New Health and Family Services program KY-Moms focuses on substance use by pregnant women


The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) is building on its collaboration with social services organizations and community partners to provide pregnant and parenting women with the education, guidance, and coordination of services needed to reach substance use recovery goals.

KY-Moms provides prevention and case management services for mothers at risk of developing substance use disorders.

“Many women in Kentucky are dealing with substance use and struggle to find appropriate care and treatment,” said Health and Family Services Cabinet Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson. “Not only is this a tremendous women’s health issue, but many infants are suffering as well. We launched KY-Moms as a way to reach more women to enable them to achieve recovery as well as produce better outcomes for babies.”

Vickie Yates Brown Glisson

KY-Moms is offered in 13 Community Mental Health Centers around the state. Formerly the KIDS NOW Plus program, KY-Moms is designed to help women in need and address behavioral health issues associated with substance use for them and their babies, such as anxiety, depression, stress-related health issues and increasing positive birth outcomes.

Kentucky Department of Public Health reports that between 2005 and 2014 4.6 percent of all Kentucky mothers had inadequate prenatal care during their pregnancy. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence also reports that 3,295 women and their children between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 sought shelter in Kentucky spouse abuse centers.

“These compounding risk factors can result in lasting effects on the baby, the mother, and the family,” said Wendy Morris, commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID), which administers KY-Moms. “With help from KY-Moms, mothers and their families can become healthier and experience a more positive lifestyle.”

Through KY-Moms, Certified Prevention Specialists and Pregnancy Case Managers provide service coordination and positive supports for program participants.

The program connects mothers to services prior to a child’s birth and 60-days post-birth. The program has demonstrated success in improving program participants’ quality of life, decreasing substance use risk factors, and increasing positive mental health outcomes.

According to the six-month postnatal follow-up survey of women in the program conducted by University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), only 6 percent of mothers reported any illegal drug use and only 13 percent reported any alcohol use. The survey also reported a 51 percent decrease in any illegal drug use and a 35 percent decrease in alcohol use with survey respondents.

For further information, contact Katie Stratton, KY-Moms MATR Program Coordinator, Adult Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Services Branch, Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, 275 E. Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40621, (502) 782-6192, Katie.Stratton@ky.gov.

From Kentucky Health and Family Services Cabinet Communications


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