Three million dollars from the state Office of Drug Control Policy are going to treatment services for pregnant and parenting women recovering from substance use disorder.
That money will help recovery centers create more specialized treatment options for their patients. That includes prenatal care and treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome, when a baby goes through withdrawals after being exposed to drugs in the womb.
It also allows centers to hire more staff members like nurses and psychiatrists.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced the funding during his regular media briefing Thursday.
“We've got to continue to fund it, we've got to stand with our treatment community, we've got to make sure that the vast majority of these opioid abatement dollars go to our treatment and recovery communities go to law enforcement that are out there,” Beshear, who is currently running for re-election against Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, said.
Connie Neal is the assistant director of the Lexington-based Chrysalis House, one of the recovery organizations benefiting from the funding. She says it’s needed for more individualized treatment.
“The women who come to us are suffering from health disparities, stigma, many things that keep them from being able to seek and receive the treatment that they need,” Neal said.
Another $3 million in funding from the office is going towards more substance use disorder treatment services at mental health centers. That same round also sees $1.6 million going towards employment and training services at Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment.
