Support for Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorder
If you are pregnant or have a new baby and are affected by substance use or are on medication for opioid use, we have resources available to help!
Our EMPOWER (Engaging Mothers for Positive Outcomes with Early Referrals) programs offer personalized, trauma-informed support for you through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Our programs can help connect you with resources to help you as a new parent.
EMPOWER Programs in Greenfield and Springfield
Baystate Health has two EMPOWER programs, each with different services:
Moms Do Care EMPOWER at Baystate Franklin
The Moms Do Care (MDC) EMPOWER Program at Baystate Franklin is a grant-funded program that provides a team-based approach including doulas and recovery coaches, a care coordinator, a nurse navigator, and clinical providers from Pioneer Women's Health. The team can provide pregnancy and recovery support, as well as help navigating the healthcare system and access to community resources. We also provide support and advocacy for families involved with the Department of Children and Families.
Participants can have doula support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum and also meet with our Doula Support Navigator for help with birth plans, information about caring for babies at risk for withdrawal and what to expect from your hospital stay. Because spending time together, breastfeeding and skin-to-skin is important for bonding and prevents newborn withdrawal, all families (whether participating in MDC EMPOWER or not) who deliver their babies at the Birthplace are provided the opportunity for full rooming-in with their babies throughout their hospital stay.
In order to participate in MDC EMPOWER, people need to complete a brief enrollment process. They also have to meet eligibility criteria for MDC EMPOWER:
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Pregnant, postpartum, or parenting a child under 36 months
- Current or past experiences with substances
- Have been on medication for substance use, or have a history of overdose
Peer Mentor Support from Recovery Coaches and Doulas
Our Moms Do Care (MDC) EMPOWER team includes peers who are people with lived experience in recovery. They are specially trained to work with pregnant and postpartum women with current, or past experiences with substance use.
Our peer mentors can provide:
- Emotional and recovery support
- Assistance with access to care
- Advocacy and support for families involved with the Department of Children and Families and the criminal justice system
Recovery Coaches have navigated the recovery system and can help eliminate barriers to recovery.
Doulas support women physically and emotionally during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Doula services can also include:
- Pregnancy and birth support
- In-home postpartum visits and breastfeeding support
Your care team with MDC EMPOWER can provide a range of services to ensure you and your baby have the resources you need, including:
- Peer mentor support
- Assistance accessing medication and other substance use treatment and recovery services
- Access to health care and social services
- Supportive, non-judgmental care for you and your family at all stages of parenting.
- Trauma-informed midwifery care
- Counseling
- Care coordination and referrals
- Support and advocacy with the department of children and families and the criminal justice system
For more information about MDC EMPOWER at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, or to make a referral, call 413-654-7116.
EMPOWER at Baystate Medical Center
The EMPOWER program at Baystate Medical Center provides family-centered support from an in-house social worker through Behavioral Health Network who will connect you to Baystate Medical Center resources as needed, including the neonatal care team prenatally. We offer follow-up throughout the pregnancy, and will work with you to provide recovery-oriented support in pregnancy and postpartum while completing referrals to additional community supports as needed. We also work closely with your OB/GYN team and additional community providers, as requested, to ensure ongoing collaboration with all providers and enhance positive outcomes.
Enrollment in the EMPOWER program at Baystate Medical Center allows families the opportunity to room-in with their baby following delivery, which has been shown to minimize symptoms of withdrawal and keeps families together. While your baby is monitored in the hospital for these symptoms, you are empowered to provide direct support, including utilizing techniques such as skin-to-skin contact and Eat, Sleep, Console to help prevent newborn withdrawal.
Learn More
No matter which location you choose, we consider it a privilege to support you through one of life's most challenging and rewarding times: becoming a mom!
To learn more or make a referral, call:
- 413-654-7116 for Moms Do Care EMPOWER at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, MA
- 413-794-5307 for EMPOWER at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA