Cutting-Edge Practice

Group Well Child Care for Mothers with Opioid Use Disorder

State/Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Setting: Clinical
Population: Infant Women & Maternal
Topic Area: Primary & Preventative Care Mental Health & Substance Use Care Coordination
NPMs:

Need: Parents with opioid use disorder (OUD) often encounter significant social and economic hardships, including stigma, social isolation, and difficulties engaging in well-child care (WCC). Despite the critical importance of WCC in supporting child health and development, attendance rates among these families are low and traditional WCC experiences may lack key aspects of family-centeredness, such as open communication and personalized care. Additionally, pediatricians report a lack of time and resources to comprehensively address the psychosocial needs of these families.

Key Population: The primary focus is on women undergoing treatment for OUD and their children under two years old. This population is particularly at-risk due to the compounded challenges of substance use disorder and the demands of early parenting.

The group WCC model strives to:
• Reduce stigma by creating a supportive group environment to share experiences and challenges, thereby normalizing their experiences and reducing feelings of isolation.
• Enhance quality of care by providing extended time with healthcare providers, facilitating more comprehensive discussions on child health, development, and parenting strategies.
• Improve clinical outcomes through increased engagement and support, thus improving adherence to WCC schedules, timely immunizations, and overall child health metrics.
• Promote parental recovery by integrating discussions on parental well-being and recovery within the WCC framework to support the holistic health of the family unit.

Relevant Background Information: This practice, group WCC for parents with OUD, is co-located with an urban, university-affiliated OUD treatment program to streamline services and encourage engagement in care for both the parent and child. Group WCC is an existing evidence-based practice that involves families with similarly aged children attending WCC sessions together. These sessions not only focus on standard child health assessments but also incorporate group discussions on topics such as stress reduction and parenting skills. Structured activities, including mindfulness exercises and infant play, are designed to promote both child development and parental well-being. This practice takes the existing practice of WCC and seeks to improve the experience of WCC specifically for women in treatment for OUD.

The Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Implementation & Policy Hub project is supported by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) and Perigee Fund. The content presented is the responsibility of the featured practices and policies and does not necessarily reflect the views of FORE, Perigee Fund, or AMCHP.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
Nemours Children’s Health
Neera Goyal
neera.goyal@nemours.org



For more information about this practice, please email evidence@amchp.org