Our Recent Work

Pregnant people who misuse substances are at high risk for poor outcomes, including miscarriage, preterm labor, and delivery-related complications. Infants born to people who have misused substances during pregnancy also face negative outcomes and are more likely to have a low birth weight, be born early, and to need neonatal intensive care than unexposed infants. To help improve these outcomes the Integrated Care for Women and Babies (ICWB) project was established by Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) in partnership with the Practice Innovation Program at the University of Colorado. In collaboration with the Practice Innovation Program, the Farley Health Policy Center has prepared several briefs.

• The first summarizes the clinics’ experiences, identifies best practices, and outlines several policy changes that can help advance integrated treatment for substance use, perinatal medical and behavioral health care;
• The second focuses on the integral role of peer support in the program’s success;
• The third presents data on types of substances used (more people use non-opioids than opioids) and birth outcomes. The authors also make suggestions about continued funding and focus that can help more people receive medication assisted treatment and streamline data practices.