FSSA receives $5M for maternal opioid care

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) – The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has received more than $5 million to improve clinical care and other services for maternal and child health and sustained recovery from opioid abuse. The grant funding is part of the Maternal Opioid Misuse Indiana initiative.

The initiative is a partnership between FSSA and the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that addresses opioid use disorder in pregnancy.

“There are many difficulties that pregnant women with substance use disorders face. The goal of this grant is to make sure that navigating health care is not one of them,” said Dan Rusyniak, M.D., FSSA chief medical officer.

The FSSA says it will use the funding to develop three new educational programs that focus on the obstetrical care of pregnant women with opioid use disorder, evidence-based practices on the management of neonatal abstinence syndrome, and care coordination best practices for pregnant women with substance use disorders. 

It will also develop programming for the social needs of people in the program and will use “trauma informed practices in coordinating these services.” 

The FSSA says its effort will also ensure people who qualify for the MOMII program will be eligible for full Medicaid coverage up to one year postpartum.

“Through this novel program we will address two critical initiatives in this administration: lowering infant mortality and attacking the drug epidemic,” said Jennifer Sullivan, M.D., M.P.H., FSSA secretary. “This exciting project highlights Indiana’s emphasis on cross-agency and community partnerships to address our most-pressing public health issues. Through collaborations like the MOMII project, Indiana continues to be a national leader in health care reform.”