A Nurse-Driven, Community-Based Program to Support Rural Women With Perinatal Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

To partner with the local Perinatal Support Coalition and collaborate across systems to address barriers to care for women, reduce stigma, and improve outcomes in women with perinatal substance use disorders (PSUD). In 2014, the nurse practice team at a rural community hospital in western Massachusetts identified a critical practice issue: The percentage of substance-exposed neonates had increased to 7%, three times more than the state average. Practice gaps included lack of adequate maternal screening and referral as well as limited knowledge of PSUD and neonatal abstinence syndrome.