Fairbanks Grant to Support Opioid Program
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis-based Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation has awarded nearly $845,000 in funding to support a new initiative to address a gap in care for opioid-dependent mothers in Indiana. The Indiana University School of Medicine will use the funding for CARE Plus, which will be offered to all opioid-dependent mothers who deliver babies at IU Health Methodist Hospital.
CARE Plus seeks to help more opioid-dependent mothers get access to treatment, and to improve the long-term health outcomes for those mothers and their children. The IU School of Medicine is working with global design firm IDEO to create a human-centered design approach that uses feedback from the population being served to inform improvements and adjustments to the program.
The Fairbanks Foundation says the program will provide mothers and infants with a full suite of support services, including a connection to medication-assisted treatment, vital social services, personalized coaching and supportive text messaging, as well as therapy design to develop strong emotional bonds between mothers and children.
"CARE Plus fuels two critical components of battling the opioid epidemic – ensuring that postpartum mothers in need of treatment don’t fall through the cracks, and putting their babies on a path to good health," said Claire Fiddian-Green, chief executive officer of the Fairbanks Foundation. "The program offers a comprehensive range of supports and is designed in collaboration with patients – elements that we hope will enable success."
As part of the grant, the IU School of Medicine will also create a toolkit to share with other health systems and nonprofit organizations in order to replicate the program. You can learn more about CARE Plus by clicking here.