The Early and Lasting Connections Consortium Partners is a group of organizations whose goal is to reduce the incidence and impact of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in rural communities by improving systems of care, family supports, and social determinants of health.
We will do this by:
- Engaging pregnant people with substance and opioid use disorders (SUD/OUD) in prenatal care, using on-site telehealth capability
- Providing pregnant people with SUD/OUD with rapid access to individual and group-based behavioral healthcare
- Addressing disparities in telehealth capability by distributing cell phones/data for patients who lack access to technology
Funding comes from Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA).
The urgency:
- The rate of babies born in New Hampshire who were monitored due to substance use exposure during pregnancy has been increasing steadily. In 2020-21, 7.1 percent of babies born in New Hampshire were monitored due to substance exposure during pregnancy.
- The leading causes of maternal death during pregnancy and the postpartum year in New Hampshire are opioid overdose and suicide.
Our consortium partners
Better Life Partners
Better Life Partners help people across New Hampshire and Vermont achieve healthier lives filled with belonging, love, and purpose. Their doctors, counselors, and support staff offer convenient treatment for a better life. They offer substance use treatment, medical and behavioral health care, and care access and coordination.
Population Health
Dartmouth Health's Population Health team works to improve the health of the region through collaborative partnerships with communities that address the social determinants of health. Learn more about Dartmouth Health.
Habit OPCO
Habit OPCO is a healthcare facility that provides addiction treatment services to communities in need, in a manner that respects each individual's worth and recognizes their desire to improve the quality of their lives.
We are dedicated to treating people with dignity and respect and assisting them to obtain a drug-free lifestyle. Our philosophy is based on the fact that medication-assisted treatment combined with life skills counseling has been shown to be the best treatment available for opiate-dependent individuals.
Habit OPCO recognizes that opiate dependence is a complex disorder requiring expertise in addressing all of its many consequences. We utilize a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment addressing the physical, psychological, and social aspects of addiction.
HIV/HCV Resource Center
HIV/HCV Resource Center supports and empowers those whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C to live fully and with dignity and to stop the spread of these diseases through education, information, and understanding.
The resource centers offer a wide range of services that include:
- Case management and support groups
- Assistance with transportation to medical and mental health appointments
- Emergency financial and resource assistance
- HIV and HCV testing
- A syringe exchange program
- Prevention education
We offer services in the Orange counties of Vermont and in the Grafton, Sullivan, and Coos counties of New Hampshire.
WISE
WISE leads the Upper Valley to end gender-based violence through survivor-centered advocacy, prevention, education, and mobilization for social change.
WISE advocates provide support through their 24-Hour Crisis line, safe home and emergency shelter, college campus advocacy, healthcare advocacy, court, and legal advocacy, survivor groups and workshops, forensic interview support, and more.
