Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health recently received two state grants totaling $750,000 to combat substance-use-disorder and mental-health challenges in women and prevent potential negative impacts on their children.
LG Health’s Pregnancy Support Services program received $600,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. The new funding will enable expansion of the program, which was first funded in 2019 to provide support services for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid-use disorder. The program is now expected to serve 80 to 100 patients each year, providing services to women with any substance use disorder from pregnancy until a child’s first birthday.
In addition to facilitating referrals to outpatient Medication Assisted Treatment and substance use disorder treatment, the program will make referrals to local providers for related services, including health-care, mental-health treatment, education, mentorship, job training, childcare and transportation.
LG Health’s Moving Beyond Depression program received $150,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Children’s Trust Fund. The program’s goal is to prevent child abuse and neglect by addressing the mental-health needs of mothers who are experiencing depression and anxiety.
Moving Beyond Depression serves first-time, low-income mothers who are enrolled in LG Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership home-visitation program. The grant funding will help to enable access to mental-health treatment, and support, as well as related community resources for mothers and their children.
“We are very grateful to receive these grant awards, which will help us to provide services to a greater number of mothers and their children,” said Dawn Horst, manager, Women and Children’s Community Health, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. “These services are a very important part of LG Health’s mission to advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”
For more information on Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s Women and Children’s Community Health programs, please contact Dawn Horst, 717-544-5262. Individuals or families who are experiencing a substance use or mental health concern may call the Get Help Now hotline, 1-800-662-HELP, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.