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Grant to Help Contra Costa Contra Costa Heath Services Reach Substance-Using Women

A project to encourage pregnant women who use alcohol and other drugs to seek prenatal care has been made possible by a $47,000 grant by the March of Dimes to Contra Costa Health Services’ Family, Maternal and Child Health Programs (FMCH). Called “The Bridges to Prenatal Care for Substance-Using Women Project,” or B2C, the program is anticipated to reach approximately 200 pregnant women and 300 providers of prenatal and labor and delivery services in Contra Costa County.

B2C “will work with other county agencies and community partners to reach women who use alcohol and other drugs and the providers that serve them,” said Cheri Pies, Director of FMCH Programs. “Our goal is to engage pregnant women who use alcohol and other drugs in prenatal care.”

“We conducted interviews and focus groups with substance-using women to help us plan a community awareness campaign encouraging them to seek prenatal care,” said Pies. “We learned that, although most women took steps to seek prenatal care, many delayed or skipped appointments if they had used drugs or were trying to stop using drugs. While some women had difficulties obtaining Medi-Cal or transportation, the most common reason for avoiding prenatal care was fear of being reported to Children and Family Services (CFS) and fear of having their children removed.”

With this information, Sarah Roberts, a doctoral student working with FMCH, worked with other staff members and members of the Contra Costa Perinatal Substance Abuse Partnership to develop the project. “We realized that in order to encourage pregnant women using alcohol and/or other drugs to seek prenatal care, we had to make sure the providers knew about the women’s fears, about their own responsibilities as mandated reporters, and about how to communicate sensitively with this group of women.” The result, Roberts said, is a two-pronged strategy of educating providers and conducting a community awareness campaign with clear, encouraging messages about what pregnant women who use alcohol and/or other drugs can expect when they seek prenatal care.

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