For immediate release:
January 2025-Cabarrus, NC — Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., a CVS Health® company (NYSE: CVS), announced that, through a grant from Aetna, five North Carolina health care teams are collaborating in a first-of-its-kind statewide partnership to address maternal mortality.
The newly formed North Carolina Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Network (NC PSUD) will share best practices, enhance cooperation, and advocate for policy solutions to enhance treatment for persons affected by perinatal substance use disorders. Network partners will inventory and analyze medical care strategies across North Carolina with a goal of improving availability and expanding best practices across the state.
“We’re bringing together some of the top health organizations in North Carolina in a concerted effort to better treat perinatal substance use disorder,” said Jerold Mammano, Division President, Aetna Medicaid, and a North Carolina resident. “Perinatal substance use disorders accounts for a growing share of maternal deaths, and brilliant minds from around the state are working on how to change that reality.”
The network’s inaugural partners are:
- Horizons at UNC-Chapel Hill, which is one of the few residential care programs in the state where children can stay with their mothers during treatment. This comprehensive outpatient program includes recovery services, a childcare center, integrated behavioral health including access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and perinatal medical care through postpartum. This program provides perinatal substance use disorder services to the central region of North Carolina.
- Project CARA at MAHEC in Asheville, which has a comprehensive, integrated outpatient program that includes recovery support services, integrated behavioral health including access to MOUD and perinatal medical care through postpartum. In addition, they operate a hub and spokes model of care that includes nine spoke sites to expand access to care across rural parts of the Western region of North Carolina.
- The SUN Program, a collaborative between the Cabarrus Health Alliance, SUDA Institute, and partners in Cabarrus County, which focuses on holistic care through their multi-system information sharing treatment team. Providing prenatal medical care, dental services, integrated behavioral health services, including access to MOUD, and recovery and education services, their program creates access to care in the Piedmont region of the state.
- The Tides Program in Wilmington provides wrap-around care by addressing barriers to treatment. In-house services include a residential housing program where women and their children can live together during recovery and receive access to transportation, life-skill training, and extensive care management. The program provides a continuum of care in Southeast North Carolina through collaborative partnerships with community perinatal teams and substance use teams.
- ECU IMPACT at ECU, which hired its first physician, dual-boarded in OBGYN and Addiction Medicine, to develop integrated perinatal substance use disorder services to medically-underserved areas of Eastern North Carolina.
The programs provide access to one-stop treatment for perinatal care, including behavioral health and MOUD. They also collaborate with key community partners to improve access to wrap-around health care delivery across North Carolina.
Each program has specific strengths, and the new NC PSUD network partnership will help the programs identify and share best practices. The grant from Aetna helps support a full-time staff position and other necessary organizing expenses to facilitate the partnership’s work.
“Addressing the stigma that surrounds perinatal substance use disorders is key because it is a significant barrier to people coming to care,” said Mel Ramage, interim director of the North Carolina PSUD Network. “By uniting medical teams who are on the front lines of delivering evidence-based treatment across our state we can make meaningful strides in overcoming this challenge. Our commitment must be unwavering—pregnant and postpartum individuals deserve nothing less than our very best efforts to ensure they receive compassionate, comprehensive care.”
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About Aetna Medicaid
Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC (Aetna Medicaid), a CVS Health company, has over 30 years of experience managing the care of under-resourced populations, using innovative approaches and a local presence in each market to achieve both successful health care results and effective cost outcomes. Aetna Medicaid has expertise serving high-need Medicaid members, including those who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Currently, Aetna Medicaid owns and/or administers Medicaid managed health care plans under the names of Aetna Better Health and other affiliate names. Together, these plans serve members in 16 states, including Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, see www.aetnabetterhealth.com.
About CVS Health
CVS Health® is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues – including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health – whether that’s managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system – and their personal health care – by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social media.
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