Seeking Help with Substance Misuse During Pregnancy
GRACE now open to pregnant women with opioid, alcohol and tobacco addictions
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Woman’s Hospital has helped more than 170 pregnant women suffering from opioid misuse since launching the Guiding Recovery and Creating Empowerment (GRACE) Program in 2018. GRACE, which previously was only open to pregnant women suffering from opioid misuse, is now expanding to women who need help with alcohol or tobacco addictions during pregnancy.
“In the early years of GRACE, it became apparent that there was a great need in our community not only for opioids but for additional substances like alcohol and tobacco,” said Cheri Johnson, Woman’s Hospital chief nursing officer. “We’re proud of the lives we’ve touched in three years, and we know that with expanded criteria we will have the opportunity to help even more women through a difficult situation.”
As part of the program, GRACE participants work with a nurse case manager and social worker who guide them through pregnancy and into the postpartum period. They provide non-judgmental support and connect women to treatment providers and other resources in the community to help address and overcome substance misuse.
The program is free of cost to participants and open to any pregnant woman in the Baton Rouge area seeking treatment for opioids, alcohol or tobacco, regardless of where she is receiving prenatal care. All phone calls are private and confidential.
For more information on the GRACE Program, or how to refer a woman in need, call 225-924-8574 or visit womans.org/grace.