Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican | Reach | Fall 2018

StRoseHospitals.org  5 and other key members of the community, including Stephanie Woodard, PsyD, Director of Behavioral Health for the state of Nevada. Dr. Woodard was instrumental in helping obtain a grant for EMPOWERED. Offering moms-to-be hope With community support, EMPOWEREDwas launched this summer at St. Rose Dominican. It helps pregnant mothers who are battling addiction get access to care in a safe, supportive environment. EMPOWERED provides support and resources—for both mother and baby—during prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood development. found very concerning results. “When we compared Nevada’s overall numbers to the rest of the U.S., we found the number of babies being treated (for opioid withdrawal) was nearly double the national average,” Dr. Nagar says. “Looking even closer—at babies in the two St. Rose NICUs—we found that 77 percent of these babies’ mothers were using more than one substance during their pregnancy, and 34 percent of the babies went home to someone other than their mothers, placing a terrible burden on our foster care system.” Realizing the depth of the problem, Drs. Nagar and Peterson took action. They talked with senators, state representatives, Empowering Mothers for Positive Outcomes with Education, Recovery, and Early Development E M P O W E R E D —Continued on page 6 “Pregnancy is a time of great potential for positive change,” Dr. Nagar says. “During pregnancy, a woman can often envision a different future for herself and her child. When women are motivated to change, they may be more successful at discontinuing substance use. We are hoping to