The Jewish Healthcare Foundation Awards AHN West Penn Hospital for Quality Care of Birthing Patients with Substance Use Disorders and Their Newborns

JHF administers the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PAPQC) to improve the identification of and care for maternal substance use disorders and substance-exposed newborns

PITTSBURGH – The Jewish Healthcare Foundation has awarded Allegheny Health Network (AHN) West Penn Hospital with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Substance Abuse Block Grant.

The Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PAPQC) team at AHN’s West Penn Hospital, the network’s flagship hospital for maternity care, successfully completed critical milestones in the treatment of and care for maternal substance use disorders (SUD) and neonatal opiate withdrawal syndrome (NOWS).

NOWS, specifically, is a group of conditions caused when a baby withdraws from opioids they were exposed to in the womb. Neonatal symptoms include tremors, seizure, breathing problems, slow weight gain, fever and GI complications, among others.

According to the CDC, nearly 80 newborns are diagnosed with NOWS every day and roughly 5 percent of people use drugs or alcohol throughout their pregnancies.

In 2016, AHN launched the Perinatal Hope program that mobilizes critical resources to surround pregnant women who are struggling with substance use disorders. The effort is designed to be a “one-stop shop” that brings together different services, health care professionals and educational materials so patients can get maximum support from a visit.

“It’s absolutely critical that we, as a healthcare system, do our part to eliminate the stigma surrounding substance use during pregnancy and wrap birthing people with the most comprehensive, tailored care possible,” said Yasaswi Kislovskiy, MD, OB/GYN and medical director of AHN Perinatal Hope Program.

In addition to their routine prenatal and postpartum visits, patients within the program are prescribed appropriate medications for opioid use disorder, offered care coordination and drug and alcohol counseling through POWER and screened for social determinants of health that may be present, like transportation or food insecurity, said Dr. Kislovskiy.

Based out of AHN West Penn hospital, the program is also located across AHN outpatient offices in Butler, Erie and Fayette Counties.

“The Jewish Healthcare Foundation strives to recognize work that positively impacts the lives of pregnant women and empowers them in the areas of health access, education, equity, and safety,” said Karen Feinstein, President and CEO at the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. “We are pleased to be a critical component of supporting quality health improvements in maternal and infant care.” 

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