Addressing Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnant Women and New Moms
About the Opioids Challenge
This challenge supports innovative technology-based solutions to improve access to quality health care for pregnant and new mothers struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Solutions should aim to increase access to:
- Substance use disorder treatment
- Recovery support
- Other support services for women with OUD, their infants and their families, especially those in rural and geographically isolated areas
Why Innovation for Mothers with OUD Matters
Women who are pregnant or new mothers and who also struggle with OUD face a variety of barriers in obtaining safe and effective care and treatment. Women and families in rural and under-resourced communities are particularly affected. Barriers may include:
- Limited access to:
- local providers with both the training and capacity to meet patient treatment and recovery needs
- family-centered, trauma-informed treatment and recovery approaches that include integrated supports
- adequate care and long-term supports for infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Significant stigma, prejudice, and discrimination that may hamper treatment
- Interactions with the criminal justice system
- Limited social supports such as transportation, safe housing and employment
The goal of this challenge is to use technology to provide women the access to treatment and recovery services to keep them and their children healthy and substance use disorder-free.
Phases 1 and 2 are now closed.
