Trainings and Resources

Prolonged social distancing and isolation can have a long-term impact, including adverse effects on mental health and exacerbation of already-existing mental health conditions.

An analysis of emergency department data shows a rise in nonfatal drug overdoses for youth under 15, from 2016 to 2019. Overdoses among the youngest kids aged 0-14 are relatively rate. However, risk increases with age, as the rate of all drug overdoses among youth aged 15-24 was more than double that of 11-14-year olds. Stimulant overdoses increased for all age groups, while heroin decreased for 15-24-year olds.

This article presents an important look into stigma of families impacted by NAS and the ways in which healthcare providers must work to combat stigma’s harmful effects, and explores directions for future research of strategies for reducing stigma amongst this population to improve engagement in healthcare and positive heath-seeking behaviors. The authors reported that mothers of infants with NAS experience intensified stigma surrounding SUDs and the challenge of overcoming exclusion, shame, and judgement of their ability to parent. In examining nurses’ perceptions of perinatal women with SUD, the authors found that many struggled with negative attitudes and prejudices towards mothers of infants with NAS that interfered with their ability to provide nonjudgmental care. The authors urge nurses to implement substantial strategies for addressing stigma through tools such as the ACTS script.

This toolkit is designed primarily for substance use and child welfare practitioners, as well as other service providers and health system planners who offer services to, or design services with, pregnant women and new mothers who use substances. Much is changing in the substance use and child welfare fields to bring forth approaches that are culturally safe, trauma informed, harm reduction-oriented and participant-driven. This toolkit highlights these advances and invites people working in both systems to think about how we can continue to improve our work, in partnership with the women who use these services.

HHS Region 4 RCORP grantees share their experiences with telehealth, consortium development, addressing stigma, and prevention for at risk youth in this brief video

Region 4 RCORP grantees share their experiences.

The curriculum focuses on the effects of substance abuse on families, parenting, and the parent-child relationship, incorporating Joan and Eric Erickson’s eight themes of growth spanning the life cycle and the Stone Center’s Self-in-Relation theory of women’s development. Combining experiential and didactic exercises, this approach is designed to enhance parents’ self-awareness and thereby increase understanding of their children.

Developed for the Puerto Rico Department of Health, this toolkit discusses how to screen pregnant women for substance use, screen infants for prenatal exposure to substances, recognize the signs of NAS, utilize validated screening tools, understand the importance of provider education, and engage pregnant women in the process of treatment and referral.

The course titled, Plans of Safe Care for Infants Exposed to Opioids, educates pediatricians about best practices in caring for, and supporting families affected by prenatal opioid exposure. Advancing the care coordination and patient- and family-centered pediatric medical home framework, the course supports pediatricians in implementing key recommendations outlined in the newly released clinical report, Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome. The topics include, (1) trends and impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy; (2) practical approaches for addressing social attitudes towards pregnant and parenting women with OUD; and (3) discharge planning to support long-term treatment and recovery for the mother-infant dyad during the transition to community care. 

Join your HRSA project officers and JBS TELS as they cover: A review of selected focus areas and prevention, treatment and recovery Strategies chosen by grantees, Using the Collective Impact Approach to develop your consortium, Creating an effective Logic Model and Developing an effective Strategic Plan.