Nicole connected with the Healthy Care Pregnancy Program (HCPP) when she was 36 weeks pregnant. She had been referred to the program earlier in her pregnancy but it took some time for her to work up the courage to engage. She was receiving clinical opioid agonist treatment while trying to taper off her active substance use, and with three children in care of the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD), Nicole felt vulnerable and protective. When we connected she had not received any prenatal care.
When Nicole reached out to us, we were able to quickly mobilize supports for her and her baby. The qathet Midwives and other health professionals in our community offered immediate and flexible medical appointments for prenatal tests. Our HCPP In-reach Worker supported Nicole with referrals and transportation to services like getting identification and accessing income assistance, continued working with MCFD to advocate for Nicole to regain care of her children, and supported Nicole in preparing for her new baby with vitamins, diapers, formula, and luggage.
Just a few weeks later, our HCPP In-reach Worker located Nicole at her house in active labour, and transported her to the qathet General Hospital where her baby was born. Both Nicole and her baby were then transferred to the B.C. Children and Women’s Hospital Families in Recovery Unit.
During Nicole and her baby’s hospital stay, our HCPP In-reach Worker continued to advocate for them, helping to coordinate their discharge from the hospital and arranging transportation to a residential treatment program for new parents in the lower mainland. While in treatment our team continued to work to secure Nicole new housing that is supportive of her recovery – a new home for her and her kids.
HCPP is a provincial program that supports pregnant, postpartum and newly parenting people who use or have used substances. We work to improve health outcomes of parents and babies, help our participants navigate health and social services, and advocate for parent-baby togetherness regardless of custody status. Learn more here.