NASADAD has released a new fact sheet, Comprehensive Substance Use Disorder Services for Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Closer Look at SAMHSA's Pregnant and Postpartum Women Program, which provides data on substance use among pregnant women, an overview of neonatal abstinence syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, the impact of adverse experiences in childhood, and the importance of family-based approaches to treatment.
In addition to background on substance use in pregnant and postpartum women and the effects on children, the fact sheet provides an overview of the Pregnant and Postpartum Women (PPW) Residential Services Program administered by SAMHSA beginning in 1993. Investments in the program over the past six years, required activities in the grant program, and positive outcomes such as reductions in substance use and increased family preservation/permanency are also included in the fact sheet.
The fact sheet also provides an overview of ongoing efforts in Congress to promote services for PPW, including the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 3.0 (S.987), introduced in March 2021. Section 202 of the bill aims to Improve treatment for pregnant, postpartum, and parenting women, re-authorizing the PPW grant program within SAMHSA and giving preference to certain types of PPW grant applicants.