Pregnant women and mothers recovering from opioid addiction now have a home in San Antonio where they can live with their children during rehabilitation.
Casa Mia is only the second facility of its kind in Texas to serve families impacted by neonatal abstinence syndrome, which occurs when a newborn suffers from symptoms of withdrawal after being exposed to opiate drugs in the mother's womb.
More babies are born with substance-addiction problems in Bexar County than any other Texas county, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
What kind of structure and stability can Casa Mia provide mothers with opioid use disorder and their children? What is the recovery process like for a woman with a new baby?
This facility is just one example of how researchers, educators and community organizations are working to combat an opioid epidemic that has rocked the nation. What's the potential impact and what other collaborative efforts are in the works?
For more information about Casa Mia, call (210) 549-4730. View the Casa Mia baby registry here.
Guests:
- Dr. Lisa Cleveland, a leader of the Bexar County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Collaborative and assistant professor at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing
- Kevin Downey, president and CEO of Crosspoint
- Diana Garcia, a new mom who has been helped at Casa Mia
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*This interview aired on Thursday, March 28, 2019.