We believe every pregnant and postpartum woman with a substance use disorder deserves compassionate, nonjudgmental care and individualized services. The Drug Free Moms and Babies (DFMB) program supports healthy outcomes for mothers and babies by providing prevention, early intervention, addiction treatment, and recovery support.

This project is made possible through generous support from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Behavioral Health, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

Design Overview

The DFMB Project works in communities by integrating medical and behavioral healthcare through a strong care coordination model that incorporates wraparound recovery support services and social services. While all sites are built upon the central hub of care coordination and provide required service components, they have the flexibility to provide services in a way that meets local needs and demands and is responsive to available resources.

Key Project Components

  • Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) services integrated in maternity care clinics
  • Collaboration with community partners for the provision of comprehensive medical, behavioral health, and social services
  • Long-term follow up for two years after the birth of the baby provided by a recovery coach. In addition, home visits and other services to help women maintain sobriety and access needed resources are provided
  • Program evaluation of effective strategies for identifying women in need, preventing addiction and abuse, treating women with substance abuse problems, and delivering recovery coaching services
  • Provider outreach education to other maternity care clinics in West Virginia to facilitate the duplication of successful model programs

DFMB Project Sites

Click for County-by-County Information

Drug Screening by Trimester

DFMB participants are required to undergo drug tests at a minimum of once per trimester. Negative drug screens rose from 25.1% at baseline to 64.2% at delivery. Women positive for illicit substances decreased from 74.9% at baseline to 35.8% at delivery. This is significant evidence of the ability of the DFMB program to affect behavior changes in participants and help them remain free from substance use.

Umbilical Cord Test Results

Critical to the program evaluation, all DFMB sites are required to collect and test the umbilical cord tissue of each infant born to a program participant. Of the 795 tests returned in 2020 and 2021, 67% were negative for illicit substances. Two-thirds of women in the program were successful in delivering babies free of illicit substances.

Diagnosis of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)

All infants born to a DFMB participant are screened for NAS at birth. For women using medication for opioid use disorders, NAS is an expected and treatable outcome that is discussed by program providers during the prenatal period so mothers are prepared to deal with the diagnosis and treatment of their babies. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of the babies born to women in the DFMB Program were diagnosed with NAS. Of those, over half (57.1%) of the babies’ umbilical cord tissue was positive for prescribed substances only. Symptoms of NAS may vary in severity depending on the type of substance(s) used, the last time it was used, and whether the baby was born full-term or premature.

Infants Discharged to Mother’s Care

DFMB sites work closely with Child Protective Services before and after birth to ensure the safety and wellbeing of babies. According to attachment theory, humans are born with a need to form a close emotional bond with a caregiver. Starting in infancy, humans develop mental representations of the caregiving relationship based on their early experiences. These mental representations of the caregiving relationship are thought to influence expectations and interactions in relationships, including parent-child relationships in the next generation.* Supporting secure mother-infant bonds are critical for healthy development. The vast majority (74%) of infants born to DFMB participants were discharged to their mother’s care, giving the best chance for parent-child bonding

*Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. 2. New York: Basic Books; 1982.

Project Sites by County

Berkeley
WVU Medicine – Berkeley Medical Center: MCOAT
  • Location: 2500 Hospital Dr, Martinsburg, WV 25401
  • Phone Number: 304-596-2899
Cabell
Lily’s Place
  • Location: 1320 7th Ave. Huntington, WV 25701
  • Phone Number: 304-523-5459
Marshall Health: Healthy Connections
  • Location: 1600 Medical Center Drive, Suite 1500, Huntington, WV 25701
  • Phone Number: 304-691-6414
Valley Health Systems: Maternal Care Program
  • Location: 2585 3rd Avenue, Huntington, WV 25703
  • Phone Number: 304-781-3614 ext. 3712
Fayette
New River Health Association: New Beginnings
  • Location: 497 Mall Road, Oak Hill, WV 25901
  • Phone Number: 304-469-2905
Grant
Potomac Highlands Guild: Building Unique and Meaningful Partnerships for Success Program (BUMPS)
  • Location: 1813 North Fork Highway, Petersburg, WV 26847
  • Phone Number: 304-257-5200
Greenbrier
CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center: Drug Free Moms and Babies
  • Location: 1322 Maplewood Ave, Ronceverte, WV 24970
  • Phone Number: 304-647-1166
Hancock
Weirton Medical Center: The Perinatal Recovery Program
  • Location: 601 Colliers Way, Weirton, WV 26062
  • Phone Number: 304-797-6648
Harrison
WVU Medicine United Hospital Center: Better Beginnings
  • Location: 527 Medical Park Drive, Bridgeport, WV 26330
  • Phone Number: 304-777-8413
Jefferson
WVU Medicine East Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry
Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Services (CATS): DFMB
  • Location: 115 E. Third Ave. Ranson, WV 25438
  • Phone Number: 304-596-2889
Kanawha
CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital Family Resource Center: Baby First
  • Location: 800 Pennsylvania Ave. Charleston, WV 25302
  • Phone Number: 304-388-4381
David Patton, MD: Drug Free Moms and Babies
  • Location: 108 W Washington St, Charleston, WV 25302
  • Phone Number: 304-345-4525
WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals: Pregnancy Connections
  • Location: 4605 MacCorkle Ave SW, South Charleston, WV 25309
  • Phone Number: 304-766-3553
Lewis
Mon Health Stonewall Obstetrics & Gynecology: Baby Steps MATR (Maternal Assistance Toward Recovery)
  • Location: 66 Hospital Plaza #103, Weston, WV 26452
  • Phone Number: 304-269-3108
Logan
Advanced OB/GYN: Drug Free Moms and Babies
  • Phone Number: 304-896-5200
Project Empower
  • 1 Washington Ave., Suite 300, Logan, WV 25601
  • Phone Number: 304-792-9766
Marshall
Reynolds Memorial Hospital: Perinatal Transition Program
  • Location: 800 Wheeling Ave. Glen Dale, WV 26038
  • Phone Number: 304-221-4517
McDowell
Tug River Health Association: Drug Free Moms and Babies
  • Location: 52 North Main St., Northfork, WV 24868
  • Phone Number: 304-862-2588 ext. 2401
Mercer
Princeton Hospital – Southern Highlands: PPPACI Program
  • Location: 1345 Mercer Street, Princeton, WV 24740
  • Phone Number: 304-818-2222 ext. 1514
Monongalia
Mon Health Medical Center: Baby Steps MATR (Maternal Assistance Toward Recovery)
  • 2000 Mon Health Medical Park Drive, Suite 2100, Morgantown, WV 26505
  • Phone Number: 304-282-7769
WVU Medicine Ruby Memorial Hospital: ACE Program
  • Location: 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505
  • Phone Number: 304-293-1706
Nicholas
Camden Family Health: Operation HOPE
  • Location: 415 Main St., Summersville, WV 26651
  • Phone Number: 304-872-1663
Ohio
Wheeling Hospital: Perinatal Transition Program
  • Location: 1 Medical Park, Tower 3, Suite 232, Wheeling, WV 26003
  • Phone Number: (304) 243-5121
Raleigh
AccessHealth Raleigh General Hospital: Mommy and Me, As Healthy As Can Be
  • Location: 1731 Harper Road, Beckley, WV 25801
  • Phone Number: 304-255-1541
Randolph
Davis Medical Center: Treatment for Two
  • Location: 812 Gorman Avenue, Elkins, WV 26241
  • Phone Number: 304-637-3948, ext. 1068
Upshur
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Center for Women’s Health, Buckhannon: Baby on Board
  • One Amalia Dr., Buckhannon, WV 26201
  • Phone Number: 304-460-7905
Wood
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center: Perinatal CARE Program
  • Location: 800 Garfield Avenue, Parkersburg, WV 26102
  • Phone Number: 304-424-4375

Our Team

Janine Breyel, BA
Deputy Director
Substance Use During Pregnancy Initiatives
Full Bio

Cara DeAngelis, MPA
Project Coordinator
Drug Free Moms and Babies
Full Bio