PROGRAM FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AIMS TO HELP THEM AVOID DRINKING, DRUGS

NEWPORT NEWS -- When a woman enters the South-Eastern Family Project, two
lives are at stake: her own and that of her unborn child.

The new residential addiction treatment program, launched late last year by
the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board, helps pregnant women who
are abusing drugs or alcohol.

Women get treatment and housing during their pregnancies and for two months
after their babies are born.

Doctors and counselors teach the women how to avoid a relapse. At the same
time, mothers-to-be learn about everything from good prenatal care to
parenting and effective birth control. They also get help with job training
and finding permanent housing.

"These are people who are dealing with an enormous amount of challenges,"
said Lisa Hogge, who oversees the program. "They need to learn how to be
good parents at the same time that they're breaking what might be years of
addiction."

Substance abuse during pregnancy is proven to increase the risk of
miscarriage and serious birth defects.

Women in the program live in a building on Terminal Avenue in Newport News.
Just six of 16 spots are filled. Hogge wants to get the word out to people
who might refer women who need help.

That includes judges, lawyers and others in the criminal justice system,
social services agencies and health-care centers such as free clinics and
hospitals.

Women are eligible if they are over 18, pregnant and have used alcohol or
drugs in the past six weeks. They also must have gone through another
addiction treatment program, such as outpatient therapy, without success.
Women are discharged with relapse prevention plans that often include
outpatient counseling.

The South-Eastern Family Project operates with Medicaid dollars and a state
grant. The daily cost of treatment is $145, with $120 billed to Medicaid
and the other $25 covered by the grant.