A Bucks County nonprofit is working with local hospitals to help new mothers who are dealing with addiction problems. Peg Quann wrote about the initiative for the Bucks County Courier Times.

Bucks County Children and Youth is working in conjunction with local hospitals to help new mothers with their addiction recovery. The Doylestown-based nonprofit provides 1,985 families with supportive services. Many of them had to deal with or are still dealing with issues related to substance abuse.

The hospitals have found that getting mothers-to-be to start treatment during their pregnancy and providing them with post-partum supportive services, results in fewer cases of children ending up in foster care.

“The birth of a baby is a huge life event,” said Kelly Gahan, manager of General Protective Services for Children Age 0-5 for Bucks County Children and Youth Services. “It throws a family into stress.”

Bucks County hospitals try to identify pregnant women with substance abuse issues during their obstetrical visits and make sure to continue their services until well after their babies are born. They then coordinate with both the county and state social services agencies to make sure that they receive care to help the recovery process continue.

Read more about the programs in the Bucks County Courier Times.