Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Pregnant and Parenting Women: Policy Resources

This collection features policy reports and recommendations for policymakers and community leaders who may be developing programs to serve pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorder (SUD). This collection includes:

  • A report on findings from a 12-state learning collaborative on improving treatment of opioid use disorder among pregnant and parenting women and infants exposed to opioids
  • A guide to creating a coordinated, multi-system approach to treating pregnant women with opioid use disorder and their infants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  • A 2-page guide for policymakers on evidence based treatment for opioid use disorder during pregnancy from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • A study looking at the relationship between policies that criminalized substance use in pregnancy and rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and found that such policies may have the unintended effect of increasing the incidence of NAS
  • A 2019 report to the Minnesota legislature that evaluates a pilot initiative to provide integrated care for high-risk pregnancies including American Indians at risk for opioid use during pregnancy
  • And 2 reports from the National Academy for State Health Policy:
    • A report on state Medicaid strategies to promote early identification and treatment of pregnant women with substance use disorders
    • A report on state strategies to promote recovery among pregnant or parenting women with substance use disorder

Policymakers and community leaders may also want to review the collections on integrated care models for pregnant and parenting women with SUD and family-centered SUD treatment.

Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

State Strategies to Address Opioid Use Disorder Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Infants Prenatally Exposed to Substances, Including Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Source: Kroelinger, C.D. et. al., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A report from a 12 state learning collaborative on improving treatment of opioid use disorder among pregnant and parenting women and infants exposed to opioids. The report focuses on the strategies states used to expand access to and coordination of services, improve education and training for providers, use data to monitor and evaluate initiatives, enhance medical coverage and reimbursement policies, and address ethical, legal, and social considerations such as stigma.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

A Collaborative Approach to the Treatment of Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder: Practice and Policy Considerations for Child Welfare, Collaborating Medical, and Service Providers

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Administration for Children and Families

This guide focuses on creating coordinated, multi-system approaches to caring for pregnant women with opioid use disorder and their infants. It focuses on creating coordination between medical providers, addiction treatment and behavioral health providers, social service agencies including

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers
Patients & Caregivers

Treating Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

This guide from the National Institute on Drug Abuse addresses treating opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy. It includes information about the effects of OUD on unborn children and newborns and about the benefits of medication assisted treatment for pregnant women with OUD diagnoses.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Integrated Care for High Risk Pregnancies: A Pilot Project to Improve Medical Assistance Birth Outcomes

Source: Minnesota Department of Human Services

In 2015, the Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Human Services to implement a pilot program to improve birth outcomes – the Integrated Care for High Risk Pregnancies (ICHRP) Initiative. The pilot program was designed to reach two demographic groups: African Americans at risk for low birth weight births in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and American Indians at risk for opiate use during pregnancy.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Payers & Providers

State Medicaid Strategies to Promote Early Identification and Treatment of Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorder

Source: National Academy for State Health Policy

This policy brief from the National Academy for State Health Policy reviews Medicaid strategies for identifying and caring for pregnant women with substance use disorders. The report provides a high-level overview of programs operational in 5 states: Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee, Montana, and Vermont.

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