Eva’s Village gets $1.3 million to help opioid-addicted mothers and exposed babies | Paterson Times Paterson Times

Eva’s Village gets $1.3 million to help opioid-addicted mothers and exposed babies

By Jonathan Greene
Published: June 18, 2018

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A pair of state grants worth $1.3 million has allowed the Eva’s Village to expand its perinatal support program that provides services to mothers recovering from opioid addiction and their exposed babies.

Grant funds from the New Jersey Department of Health has allowed the nonprofit to expand outreach, treatment programs, and services for pregnant women, their newborns, and mothers with young children struggling with opioid addiction.

“The goal of our programs is not only to provide the best quality of care for mothers and their children here at Eva’s, but to help break the cycle of poverty and addiction that so often occurs in families,” Leslie DeBlasio, clinical director of residential substance use disorders treatment for women at Eva’s Village, said. “By addressing these issues early on – and by ensuring that both the mothers and children have the support they need to recover together as a family, while they are at Eva’s – we can help lay the groundwork for continued recovery and healthy parent-child relationships that will, we hope, last a lifetime.”

Since 2011, between 500 and 630 substance-exposed infants have been born each year in New Jersey, according to Eva’s Village. Babies born to addicted mothers suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms within 2-3 days after birth, may suffer from delayed development, learning problems, and behavior disorders as they grow.

The Eva’s Village program is intended to remove barriers for women struggling with substance abuse. Many pregnant women seek recovery for their unborn child. However, they lack support network of family and friends. They may lack a safe place and a stable income. Many grapple with guilt about the negative effects their drug use has on their newborn’s health and fear losing custody.

The program provides women and their babies extensive support. The nonprofit’s Mommy and Me program provides on-site childcare and ongoing recovery support. It also offers employment counseling, job placement assistance, and a variety of other services.


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