A new clinic in Tulsa is betting that pregnant women struggling with addiction shouldn't have to choose between prenatal care and recovery treatment. Oklahoma State University Medicine has launched the Maternal and Addiction Recovery Care Program, bringing addiction specialists and OB-GYN physicians together under one roof for pregnant and postpartum patients dealing with opioid, alcohol and other substance-use disorders.
According to KOSU, the program is the first in eastern Oklahoma to unite board-certified addiction-medicine and OB-GYN physicians in a single setting. The outlet reports that patients can access doulas, lactation specialists and pediatricians throughout their pregnancies, along with addiction treatment that includes medications for opioid-use disorder. OSU Medicine says the integrated approach allows patients to receive care for pregnancy and substance-use disorders in the same setting, according to the OSU Medicine website, which describes coordinated medical care, behavioral-health services and evidence-based treatment delivered in a trauma-informed environment.
A launch event for the center, located at the OSU Obstetrics & Gynecology – Houston Center on South Houston Avenue, took place Tuesday afternoon. Per OSU Medicine, participants can continue receiving birth and recovery planning through delivery and for up to 12 months postpartum. The program opened its doors a few months ago and has already cared for 25 patients, the station's report notes.
Doctors Say Isolated Care Was Failing Patients
Program organizers said maternal health and substance-use treatment cannot be effectively addressed in isolation, according to the same KOSU account. Dr. Erin Brown, chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at OSU Medicine, told Public Radio Tulsa that many women go without needed care until they arrive at the hospital already in labor — but that the situation can change. Brown added that motherhood itself can motivate people with substance-use struggles to seek treatment and begin recovery, and she said she hopes the program will help Oklahoma Human Services view participants more favorably.
Dr. Kelly Dunn, chief of addiction medicine at OSU Medicine, said women with substance-use disorders deserve effective care and that families' futures can be changed. The program welcomes referrals from OB-GYN providers, primary care physicians, emergency departments, behavioral-health professionals, community organizations and social service agencies, per the same report.
Tulsa's Mayor and a Foundation Back the Effort
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said people facing addiction encounter barriers to seeking help, and that healthcare should not force them to navigate a complicated system alone. Nichols said pregnant mothers should have resources before reaching a crisis point, and that compassionate, comprehensive treatment could save the lives of women and children. He called providing this level of care a shared responsibility, according to the outlet's coverage.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation committed $100,000 to launch the program. Kimberly Butler, senior program officer for the foundation, said it may increase its commitment depending on need, as the public radio station reported.
A Statewide Gap in Maternal Addiction Treatment
Nationally, about one in seven pregnant women met criteria for a substance-use disorder within the previous year between 2021 and 2023, while only one in ten of those women received treatment, according to a study cited in the same report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified mental-health conditions as the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths in 2022, with substance-use disorders also contributing to those deaths.
Organizers hope to expand the program's reach beyond Tulsa using telehealth to partner with rural hospitals. OSU Medicine already provides virtual behavioral-health emergency-room consultations and hospitalist services to rural facilities including McCurtain Memorial Hospital and Cleveland Area Hospital, according to Oklahoma State University News. During its first month offering virtual care at McCurtain Memorial, the university reported 21 emergency behavioral-health appointments, half of them addiction-related — a reflection of the gap facing the 75 Oklahoma counties designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. A Healthy Minds Policy Initiative study cited by the university found that more than 56% of Oklahomans who needed mental-health treatment did not receive it in 2022.
Tulsa's new effort joins other maternal-care programs in the state. OU Health operates its Substance use Treatment And Recovery Prenatal Clinic for pregnant women with substance-use disorders, according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, while Mercy has described opening the state's first perinatal behavioral-health clinic in Oklahoma City, offering care from before pregnancy through the first year after birth, per Mercy. OSU Medicine separately operates an Addiction Recovery Clinic offering outpatient care for people struggling with addictive behaviors, according to the health system.
