UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor Receives Funding for Rural Community Opioid Response Program

UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor has received funding from the Hamot Health Foundation as part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.

This Rural Communities Opioid Response Program’s Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome project will serve pregnant women, mothers, and women of childbearing age who have a history of, or who are at risk for substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD), along with their children, families and caregivers in rural northwestern Pennsylvania. 

The grant addresses the ways that substance use creates multigenerational impacts as evidenced by high rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) treatment in infants and involvement with Child Protective Services. Further, these are complicated by access barriers for treatment, recovery, and supports for substance use disorder. 

The overarching goals to mitigate the impact of substance use on women and families are:

• Increase the number of women engaged in evidence-based SUD care
• Reduce the number of babies requiring pharmacologic and/or NICU NAS related treatment
• Increase community participation and support for evidence-based treatment, recovery, and support options for women and families
• Enhance prevention through education, targeted naloxone distribution, medication collection/disposal practices, and stigma reduction. 

UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor provides mental health and substance use disorder resources in northwestern Pennsylvania. As part of UPMC’s behavioral health services continuum, including the flagship UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Safe Harbor has a direct link to research-based care, and opportunities for regional collaboration that shape health outcomes across our communities.