This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate some very special MOMS

Anyone can be a mother, but it takes someone special to be called “mom.” And for more than 150 families in the Midlands, “MOMS” are champions who battled a highly stigmatized chronic disease for the sake of their expected child.

Anyone who has a problem with alcohol or drug use needs access to treatment, especially pregnant women. Pregnancy adds layers of concerns that treatment must address, including legal, medical and newborn health and development.

The number of women in South Carolina identified as using alcohol or drugs during their pregnancy and newborns diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome has steadily increased over the past seven years. But the numbers in Richland and Lexington counties have decreased sharply, partially and perhaps largely because of Maternal Outreach Management Services, or MOMS.

LRADAC initiated MOMS in 2010 to help expectant mothers who are struggling with a substance-use disorder. By providing traditional treatment in conjunction with peer support, case management and other supportive services, we have seen lasting effects. MOMS helps women become and stay drug- and alcohol-free throughout pregnancy, decreasing complications and increasing the chance of a child born without withdrawal symptoms, long-term disabilities or developmental problems. So far, we’ve had 162 babies born alcohol- and drug-free.

Our goal is to have the mother ready to leave the hospital with custody of their newborn. When that’s not appropriate, we work to have the child placed with another family member, foster care or an adopted family.

MOMS relies on the strong coordination of care between LRADAC, other community agencies, physicians and hospitals, allowing a case manager to make appropriate referrals, connections and follow-ups with other service providers, while centering all services around recovery. On this Mother’s Day, we celebrate all of the women who, in spite of their fears, chose treatment for their own health and the well-being of their child.