Grant Funds Substance Abuse Program for Pregnant Women
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Lexington, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2007) - The University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology has received a $25,000 grant from the March of Dimes Chapter Community Grants Program and an
additional $20,000 in matching funds from the University of Kentucky Research Foundation. The
grant monies will fund a new prenatal program, Supporting Positive Pregnancy Outcomes in Rural
Towns (SUPPORT), which is aimed at providing care to pregnant women with substance abuse
problems.
Dr. Wendy Hansen, the grant's principal investigator and director of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, worked closely with her co-principal investigators Leigh Ann Simmons, an assistant professor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences Department of Family Studies with a joint appointment in the College of Public Health Department of Health Services Management, and Jennifer Havens, an assistant professor in the UK College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Science with an appointment in the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.
"Prenatal care is vital to the health of mothers and infants alike," Hansen said. "However, research shows that rural women, and women who abuse substances, are less likely to receive prenatal care. Our goal is to increase access to prenatal care for this vulnerable group of women, so as to improve the health of their newborns."
Hansen and colleagues noted that prenatal care is especially important for pregnant women who abuse substances, because in-utero exposure to substances such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco leads to impaired growth, behavior, and cognitive functioning.
SUPPORT will provide a 10-session group prenatal care program in Leslie and Perry Counties that includes enhanced prenatal care, family education, and substance abuse-related services. The program is currently open for enrollment. Providers of obstetric care and prospective patients in Leslie, Perry, and surrounding counties can call 1-800-SUPPORT for more information.
Dr. Wendy Hansen, the grant's principal investigator and director of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, worked closely with her co-principal investigators Leigh Ann Simmons, an assistant professor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences Department of Family Studies with a joint appointment in the College of Public Health Department of Health Services Management, and Jennifer Havens, an assistant professor in the UK College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Science with an appointment in the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.
"Prenatal care is vital to the health of mothers and infants alike," Hansen said. "However, research shows that rural women, and women who abuse substances, are less likely to receive prenatal care. Our goal is to increase access to prenatal care for this vulnerable group of women, so as to improve the health of their newborns."
Hansen and colleagues noted that prenatal care is especially important for pregnant women who abuse substances, because in-utero exposure to substances such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco leads to impaired growth, behavior, and cognitive functioning.
SUPPORT will provide a 10-session group prenatal care program in Leslie and Perry Counties that includes enhanced prenatal care, family education, and substance abuse-related services. The program is currently open for enrollment. Providers of obstetric care and prospective patients in Leslie, Perry, and surrounding counties can call 1-800-SUPPORT for more information.