Partnering with recovery community centers to build recovery capital by improving access to reproductive health

Abstract

Background: People with substance use disorders (SUD), especially opioid use disorder (OUD) have the highest rates of unintended pregnancies (80-95%) and report unmet reproductive health needs. Women of childbearing age have some of the highest death rates from opioids and are notably rising the most rapidly, and when pregnancy does occur overdose is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality.There are numerous gender-based health disparities and social determinants of health shaped by the distribution of power and privilege that influence the risk trajectories of people who can get pregnant or are pregnant with a substance use disorder (SUD).

The development of a recovery coaching training curriculum to facilitate linkage to and increase retention on medications for opioid use disorder

“…Recovery community organizations are non-profit organizations that provide a breadth of recovery services, such as peer recovery support, harm reduction education, and mutual aid meetings ( 21 ). Recovery community organizations are typically independent agencies with common core values including valuing all pathways of recovery ( 22 ), allowing recovery community organizations to engage individuals in active use and across all stages of treatment readiness, remission, and recovery ( 23 ). For RC positions, VOH hired individuals who were eligible to complete the Kentucky Adult Peer Support Specialist certification (i.e., self-report being in recovery from a substance use disorder and having a GED or higher level of education).…”