The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) launched a new era of person-centered care for mothers affected by substance use disorder (SUD) with the announcement of 11 inaugural Project M.O.M. (Maternal Overdose Mortality) catalyst site hospitals. The goal of Project M.O.M. is simple: to keep women alive and families intact.
Too often, gaps between emergency care, prenatal services, and ongoing substance use treatment negatively affect the continuity of care needed to support recovery and healthy outcomes. Project M.O.M. aims to close those gaps by delivering person-centered care navigation within a statewide system of coordinated care — ensuring that pregnant and postpartum women affected by substance use can access the comprehensive medical, behavioral health, and social supports needed to achieve healthy pregnancies and sustained recovery.
“Every new life is a reason for hope, which makes the reality that accidental overdose has been the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in Louisiana since 2018 all the more sobering. This isn’t just a statistic. It’s a double tragedy. When we lose a mother, we risk the safety, stability, and future of her child,” LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein said. “Data shows that the vast majority of these deaths are preventable. We are here today because ‘preventable’ must become ‘prevented.’”
“SUD is a chronic, treatable medical condition that has dangerous impacts on pregnant women and their infants. It is not a moral failing. Pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorder deserve support and access to treatment without judgment,” said LDH Deputy Secretary Dr. Pete Croughan.
Catalyst site hospitals
-LDH is partnering with these hospitals to improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women with SUD and their babies:
-Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women
-Lakeview Hospital
-Lane Regional Medical Center
-Ochsner American Legion Hospital
-Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center
-Ochsner St. Anne Hospital
-Opelousas General Health System
-Our Lady of the Angels Hospital
-Rapides Regional Medical Center
-Touro Hospital
-Woman’s Hospital
These hospitals have committed to:
-Align leadership and staff around a culture shift that treats substance use disorder in pregnancy as a medical condition and reduces stigma.
-Implement universal verbal screening for substance use and standardized clinical pathways and training that support evidence-based care during pregnancy and postpartum.
-Ensure timely initiation, uninterrupted continuation, and coordinated transitions of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) across care settings.
-Integrate naloxone distribution and education into routine clinical workflows.
-Embed hospital-based perinatal navigators to bridge prenatal, hospital, postpartum, and regional care coordination.
By normalizing substance use screening, addressing stigma and bias, and implementing evidence-based practices, providers and hospitals can create safer, more effective pathways to care.
“Project M.O.M. brings together the work we have already achieved through the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC) and the Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR), ensuring mothers are covered before, during, and after pregnancy,” said Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD, medical director of the PAMR and LaPQC.
“Woman’s Hospital is proud to partner with LDH and our fellow hospitals to offer this program to mothers who may be struggling with substance use,” said Woman’s President and CEO Rene Ragas. “Having a program in place that specifically addresses this serious and complex problem is essential to supporting Louisiana families and saving lives. Our mission is to improve the lives of women and infants, and Project M.O.M. is about meeting mothers where they are with compassion and hope.”
“We are proud to partner with the Louisiana Department of Health and serve as catalyst sites for Project M.O.M. across three Ochsner Lafayette General hospitals,” said Patrick Gandy, CEO of Ochsner Lafayette General. “Project M.O.M. strengthens the important work our teams are already doing to support moms facing substance use challenges with compassion and respect. Every mother deserves care, dignity, and the opportunity to build a healthy future for her family, and by bringing together medical care, navigation, and community resources, we are giving women the support they need before, during, and after pregnancy.”
Learn more about Project M.O.M. at ldh.la.gov/ProjectMOM.