Perinatal Substance Use Disorders
Decreasing morbidity and mortality related to perinatal substance use disorder through trauma informed best practices.
Substance Use Disorder
Improving Care and Outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders in Oregon


Background
In Oregon between 2018-2021, the leading cause of pregnancy related death was mental health conditions, which includes substance use disorders (2025 Oregon MMRC Report). Much work is needed to decrease bias, and stigma related to SUD and increase access to wrap around behavioral and physical health care for pregnant and postpartum people with SUD’s and their newborns.
There are a number of efforts underway to decrease the morbidity and mortality related to perinatal SUDs in Oregon:
In 2025, a multidisciplinary workgroup developed an Oregon specific toolkit and planned a quality improvement initiative for hospitals, and their community based behavioral health partners. This toolkit, as well as other tools for specific specialties such as lactation, pediatrics and peer support specialists are available now below. All are encouraged to use these to identify and prioritize opportunities at their sites/ among their teams.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT WORK
• A 4-month Naloxone Sprint runs from February through May 2026. Enrolled teams will either implement or refine existing processes, using the Oregon Perinatal Naloxone Toolkit, to ensure those at risk of overdose are provided with naloxone on discharge from perinatal units.
• A 16-month Perinatal SUD quality improvement initiative will kick off in September 2026 and run through December 2027. Enrollment is open now! The enrollment packet has been sent to hospital leaders for review before enrollment opens. Hospital perinatal teams will enroll and identify community partners to be on the team. If you want to learn more about all of the components below, there was an informational webinar on April 20th that you can watch the recording of here: OPC Perinatal SUD Initiative: Informational Webinar
Additional workgroups of the Maternal Health Task Force will be addressing perinatal SUD workforce development and payment reform, and more information will be available soon about this work.
Resources
Additional Resources
Clicking on each tab on the left below will display the additional content and links for each section
Bias & stigma
• Reducing Stigma | Why Words About Addiction Matter BMC
• Video: What is Stigma?
• Anti Stigma Institute
Trauma-informed Care
• Trauma Informed Oregon: Trauma Informed Care Trainings and Courses
• Do No Harm: Building Trust, and Keeping Families Together (ACES Aware)
Implementing Medication for Opioid Use Disorder at the Hospital
• Bridge: Blueprint for Hospital Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention
• OHA Overdose Prevention
• Save Lives Oregon
• Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction Education and resources for providers and patients on how to reduce the harms of substance use during pregnancy.
o Their toolkit
Education for Providers and Teams
Pregnancy related
• Oregon ECHO Network: Addiction Medicine Programs An interactive educational and community-building case-based learning series for healthcare professionals throughout the state of Oregon.
• ASAM: Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnant Patients (8-hour, online course). Learn to identify, assess, diagnose, and manage pregnant and postpartum patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Covers all medications for OUD and education needed to prescribe. Fulfills the 8-hour opioid education requirement for DEA license renewal.
Newborn related
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Care of the Infant with Opioid Exposure Overview of the impact of the opioid crisis on the mother-infant dyad and recommendations for management of the infant with opioid exposure.
• A Public Health Response to Opioid Use in Pregnancy: Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics
Lactation related
• Washington State Lactation and Substance Use: Guidance for Health Care Professionals
Peers/ Doulas/ Community Health Workers
• SAMHSA: Peer Support Role
• OHA: Oregon Traditional Health Worker Toolkit: Include overview, scope of practice and benefits of integration.
Family Care Plans (Plan of Safe Care)
• Oregon Family Care Plans: Includes guidance for healthcare professionals and downloadable fillable form
• Healthcare Provider Toolkit: Creating Safe Care for Pregnant and Parenting Patients Who Use Drugs (Camden Coalition) National information and tools (checklists, scripts, etc.) to support pregnant and parenting people who use drugs.
Child Welfare Reporting
• Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 430.915 Support for Pregnant People Using Substances
• Development of a Clinical Decision-Making Framework to Address Parental Substance Use and Child Safety
• Administration for Children and Families CAPTA Guidance: US Department of Health and Human Services Guidance on the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
• ODHS: Mandatory Reporting: Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) site that includes training and resources/ materials about mandatory reporting in Oregon.
Building Effective Partnerships between Community-Based Organizations and Health Care
• CHCS: An Inside Look at Partnerships between Community-Based Organizations and Health Care Providers
Patient and Family Education Materials
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock: Substance Use and Pregnancy
• University of Oregon Centering on Parenting and Opioids: Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy When You Have an Addiction
• Save Lives Oregon
• Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction
Universal Screening for Substance Use
• SBIRT NH: Perinatal Playbook
• SBIRT: 5Ps Screening Tool
• SAMHSA: Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral for Treatment
Screening and Treatment for Infectious Disease
• PATHS – Peer Assisted Telemedicine for Hepatitis C and Syphilis Very effective, low barrier strategy working to eliminate Hep C across Oregon
• OHA: Congenital Syphilis
• OHA: Viral Hepatitis in Oregon
• Oregon Hepatitis Elimination Room
• OHA: HIV Prevention (PrEP and PEP)
Screening for Behavioral Health & Social Drivers of Health Needs
• Oregon Family Care Plan Form
• OHA Social Needs Screening Tools
• Mental Health Screening Tools: Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health
Warm Hand-off & Community-based Resources
• CMQCC Best Practice N.30: Warm Hand-Off
• Oregon 211
Response Resources
Consult Lines
• OHSU Addiction Consult Line
• National Clinical Consultation for Substance Use (UCSF)
Oregon Perinatal SUDs Programs
• Nurture Oregon
• Project Nurture
Treating Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy
• Oregon Pregnancy and Opioids Workgroup Recommendations (coming soon!)
• SAMHSA: Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder and Their Infants
Accessing Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
• Harm Reduction and Bridges to Care Clinic OHSU (HRBR) Telehealth medication for opioid use disorder
• Boulder Care Telehealth Addiction Treatment
• Recovery Now: Oregon Treatment Access Line (Lines for Life): Search tool to locate treatment services, including medication for opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders, as well as peer support services
• SAMHSA Advisory: Low Barrier Models of Care for Substance Use Disorder
Starting Medication for Opioid Use Disorder at the Hospital
• Asante Example OB Opioid Use Disorder and Withdrawal Order Set
• OHSU MOUD Policy 2022
Methadone Dispensing at Hospital Discharge
• Dispensing Methadone at Hospital Discharge Article: Article outlining OHSUs approach to implementing the “72-hour rule” change, including steps/
recommendations.
• Sample Guideline for Methadone Dispensing and Discharge Procedure
Naloxone
• OHA Naloxone Discharge Requirements for Hospitals : OHA guidance and frequently asked questions on OAR 333-505-0055 outlining requirements for hospitals.
• Oregon Perinatal Naloxone Toolkit
Perinatal Mental Health
• Postpartum Support International (PSI): Helpline 5am-8pm PST and other resources in English and Spanish.
• Oregon Psychiatric Access Line (OPAL): For co-occurring psychiatric consultation
• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 24/7 free hotline with call/ text options available in English and Spanish.
Recovery Hotlines
• Oregon Hope Line (Judgement-free support for people struggling with substance use)
• David Romprey Oregon Warmline 1-800-698-2392 (24-7 non-judgmental and confidential peer support line)
Family Planning
• Reproductive Health Screening Tool Options
Reporting and Systems Learning Resources
• Oregon Overdose Prevention Dashboard
• AIM Data Collection Plan: Substance Use Disorder
Respectful, Equitable and Supportive Care Resources
Supportive, patient-centered care
• KARNA: Building a Culture of Support
Opportunities for Patient Feedback Outside Formal Surveys
• MoMMAs Voices Patient Family Partners
• Example Hospital Patient Bill of Rights
• Massachusetts General Nondiscrimination Statement
Example Programs with Culturally & Linguistically Aligned Services (not exhaustive)
• Lines for Life: Culturally Specific Mental Health Resources: Culturally specific mental health resources, including addiction/ recovery. (Statewide)
• Project Network – Lifeworks NW: Residential mental health and recovery services for women 18 and up with or without children; culturally focused for African American women, but all cultural background welcome. (Portland)
• Great Circle Opioid Treatment Program: Opioid treatment program of the
Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde for native and non-native clients. (Salem & Portland)
• Ko-Kwel Wellness Opioid Treatment Program: Opioid treatment program serving indigenous people from federally recognized tribes. (Eugene)
Birth Doula: A birth companion who provides personal, non-medical support to birthing people and families throughout a person’s pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum experience. A doula may receive additional education/ training specific to support pregnant and postpartum people with SUD and/or also have specific education/ training as a peer support specialist and may be referred to as a “specialized doula” in these situations.
Family care plan (Oregon Family Care Plans): CAPTA and CARA legislation requires states to develop Family Care Plans for infants with prenatal substance exposure and their families “to ensure the safety and well-being of such infant following release from the care of healthcare providers including through addressing the health and substance use disorder treatment needs of the infant and affected family or caregiver”. The Oregon Family Care Plan is a document that providers and patients can use together to fulfill this requirement.
Harm reduction: A set of practical, evidence-based strategies aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. Harm reduction is also a movement for social justice built on the belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs. (National Harm Reduction Coalition)
Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD): Medications used to treat opioid use disorder. Methadone and buprenorphine are first line medication options to treat pregnant women with OUD. (CDC)
Opioid use disorder (OUD): A chronic, treatable disease that involves a pattern of opioid use characterized by tolerance, craving, inability to control use, and continued use despite adverse consequences. (ACOG)
Peer support specialist: A person in active recovery from an SUD and has had training to provide professional peer services to another individual with similar life experience. Some peers have additional training and certification specifically related to perinatal health, such as doula training. Note that this role title is designated by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and other certifying bodies may use different terms for similar role (e.g. certified
recovery mentor, etc.).
Person with lived experience: An individual who has experienced a substance use disorder during pregnancy or postpartum periods.
Postpartum: The first 12 months following the end of a pregnancy, regardless of pregnancy outcome.
Screening for SUD: The first component of SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), screening is the first step in identifying risky substance use and connecting women with substance use disorders to care. During pregnancy verbal screening tools, such as the 5 Ps, can help identify people who might benefit from more in-depth assessment of their substance use and care needs. (AMCHP)
Stigma: In the context of substance use disorders, stigma is a set of negative attitudes and stereotypes that lead to discrimination and can create barriers to treatment and health care and make these conditions worse. (NIDA) Types of stigma include individual/ internalized, interpersonal/ enacted, and organizational/ institutional.
Substance use disorder (SUD)/ addiction: A treatable chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences. (ASAM)
Traditional health workers (THW): Trusted individuals from their local communities who may also share socioeconomic ties and life experiences with the people they work with. This term, used by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), refers to multiple worker types including peer support specialist and birth doula defined above.
Lived Experience Storytelling
Mothers in recovery share their experiences with perinatal healthcare, and what helped or hindered their access to care.
Screening and Vignettes
Examples of trauma-informed screening, perinatal, and postpartum care for patients impacted by perinatal Substance Use Disorders.
Overdose Prevention
Opioid overdose is a leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of pregnancy related death in Oregon, along with other mental health conditions.
Naloxone can be lifesaving when everyone in our communities
-
Can recognize an overdose,
-
Has naloxone on hand, and
-
Knows how to use it.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided financial support for this project. The award provided 100% of total costs and totaled $20,582.00 . The contents are those of the author. They may not reflect the policies of HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government
Last Updated: 2/09/2026
