Burrell Behavioral Health has announced the launch of its new Infant, Mother and Prenatal Assessment and Recovery Team (IMPART) program, a coordinated, specialty care team that will address the recent increase in children born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) because of opioid use by mothers prior to birth. Mothers must have a co-occurring mental health diagnosis and reside in Springfield or Greene County to participate in this program.
IMPART launched this month in Greene County with the assistance and support of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, which along with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services estimates 2,175 infants were born with NAS in Missouri in 2016, nearly double the amount born with NAS in 2015. An additional 400,000 children are exposed to alcohol or illicit drugs in utero each year. Many of these children enter the foster care system.
“A healthy pregnancy and birth are huge motivators for a woman to make behavioral changes in her life,” said Burrell Behavioral Health President and CEO C.J. Davis. “Having a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment pre- and post-partum has been cited by many women as helpful to their general well-being and can significantly reduce out-of-home placements for a child.”
IMPART will allow Burrell, the second-largest Certified Community Behavioral Health Center in Missouri and one of the three largest in the United States, to connect with more than 50 expectant and new mothers every year, and continue services from pregnancy until the child is three years old. Services provided by this specialty-care team are expected to include: Medication-Assisted Treatment; group and individual counseling; prenatal care; crisis intervention; overdose prevention; mental health assessment and treatments; parenting classes and support; education on child development; assistance in developing health support systems; and connection to social services including housing, employment assistance, and WIC.