As we close in on one year of clOUDi work across the state of North Carolina it has become crystal clear that success in this effort requires confronting some harsh realities and challenging established cultures we as healthcare providers are hesitant to abandon. clOUDi is predicated on the principle that mothers dealing with substance use disorder can be identified, supported, treated and serve as the best medicine for their babies. We have made progress in advancing the clOUDi mission but there is much work that remains to be done.
As we prepare to launch clOUDi 2.0 in January 2022, we will continue our efforts to make validated verbal screening tools a part of every mother’s prenatal and hospital care. It will take more, however, than incorporating a validated verbal screening tool into an EMR to offer our mothers the care they need and deserve. In clOUDi 2.0 we will focus attention on creating that environment of trust, devoid of bias, that allows a mother to not only feel safe disclosing her substance use issues, but makes her comfortable enough to consider a brief intervention and referral for treatment. Further we will be probing the best strategies to allow nurseries and NICUs to be wiling to explore the role of mother as medicine for the infant experiencing a withdrawal syndrome.
There are challenges to all these elements of care but we have a unique opportunity to partner with moms and assist them on the road to recovery for themselves and the best outcomes for their babies.
We look forward to continuing this vital work with you as we launch clOUDi 2.0 this January. Stay with us. And if you haven’t joined us on this journey yet, please consider doing so. North Carolina mothers and their babies need you and your team.
