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The Kaiser Permanente Northern CA Early Start's mission is to provide women with access to services and support to have an alcohol, tobacco and drug free pregnancy, allowing the delivery of a healthy baby.
The success of Early Start rests on four interventions:
•Universal screening of all pregnant women
•Co-location of a licensed mental health professional in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
•Linking Early Start appointments with routine prenatal care appointments
•Educating all women and clinicians
Dr. Goler described the barriers to implementing a program such as Early Start, including the challenge for hospitals to redeploy current inpatient resources to outpatient services in order to generate savings in neonatal units, and the denial and skepticism among all levels of health care providers that substance abuse and dependency is a disease that can be treated effectively. The success of Early Start highlights the impact that multi-disciplinary care teams can have on patient outcomes and professional satisfaction, and the importance of full inclusion of behavioral health treatment in prenatal care.
External Link
http://my.ireta.org/9_10_14webinar
Related Topics
- Behavioral Health
- Medical Care
- Prevention
- Treatment Models