New Intermountain Health Program Helps Pregnant Moms Struggling with Addiction

There is a new Intermountain Health program to help pregnant moms who are struggling with addiction feel safe, ask for help, and be able to seek treatment without judgment.

The Peripartum Addiction Treatment and Healing (PATH) program launched in March of 2024 at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah. The program was recently expanded to treat patients delivering babies in Weber and Davis Counties.

“Individuals with a substance use disorder are vulnerable and stigmatized,” said Krystal Richards, grant project director and business analyst for community health at Intermountain Health. “Individuals who are pregnant and have a substance use disorder are some of the most vulnerable and stigmatized of this population.”

For people who face substance use disorders, they often have seasons of sobriety and relapse. However, during pregnancy, people are more likely than any other time in their life to become sober.

“It’s such a motivational time. We’re catching them at their most likely time to succeed. The earlier on we can catch them in their pregnancy and get them plugged into resources, the more likely they can get stabilized and achieve their recovery goals,” said Dr. Terri Kurtz, an OB-GYN and addiction medicine physician with Intermountain Health and U Health who leads the PATH program.

“These patients need to hear from someone who’s been through the treatment process, who ultimately got their kids back and is now sober,” she added.

Nationally, it’s recommended that all prenatal patients are screened for substance use disorders, but it’s not widely implemented. Intermountain Health has started screening expectant mothers at some women’s health clinics including McKay-Dee Hospital’s Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic, Wasatch OB-GYN Clinic in Ogden, North Ogden OB-GYN Clinic and Layton Parkway Women’s Health at Layton Hospital.

So far, the program has screened more than 3,000 pregnant patients. It may be surprising to Utahns, but following the initial pre-screening, 20% of the pregnant patients screened positive for substance use and needed additional in-depth screening and assessment, and 13% of those were referred to the PATH program for additional support.

The PATH program offers a collaborative approach to change the trajectory for pregnant mothers with substance use disorders not only during pregnancy, but also for one year postpartum, which is a critical time for these moms.

A team of Intermountain caregivers work together to treat these patients—caregivers from neonatology, psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and community health. Intermountain also partners with community organizations so patients can benefit from peer support specialists and social workers.

There are peer recovery specialists who can set up family medicine and primary care appointments and drive patients to appointments. They will follow the patients for two years.

“I just have a soft spot for this population,” said Dr. Kurtz, who spent time with pregnant patients who were being treated for substance disorders during her residency. “They’re really socially complex patients, often are suffering from trauma, or are unsheltered or have been incarcerated. I was drawn to this work.”

Following her residency, Dr. Kurtz went on to become board certified in addiction medicine. When Intermountain applied and was awarded a Utah-funded grant to treat expectant mothers with substance use disorders, she was a natural fit to lead the work. The PATH program is funded for three years through a contract awarded to Intermountain by the State of Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Intermountain Health aims to expand access to this program to other Utah clinics and hopefully throughout the Intermountain footprint in other states.

It’s recommended that moms struggling with using alcohol, nicotine products, or illicit drugs during pregnancy, talk to their doctor or midwife. They can help them get the help they need.

For more information about PATH and other substance use programs call 801-387-4647 or visit the PATH addiction treatment page at intermountainhealth.org or email PATHUT@imail.org.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.