In the last decade, a disturbing trend has emerged in Colorado. In place of postpartum hemorrhage and eclampsia related deaths, behavioral health conditions are now the leading cause of maternal mortality. While Colorado's maternal population has been greatly impacted by the increase in maternal morbidity and mortality associated with behavioral health disorders, recent changes in the Colorado delivery system can make improving these outcomes more feasible. The latest iteration of the Department's Accountable Care Collaborative aligns the administration of physical and behavioral health services under one entity -- the Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) -- to improve member health and reduce costs.
In December 2019, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing was awarded the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to bring this model to Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program). This model was created to better support pregnant and postpartum Medicaid members with opioid use disorders (OUDs).
Given the unique needs and existing efforts in communities across Colorado, the Department's approach for the MOM model supports local providers while building statewide capacity to serve pregnant and parenting women with OUD and their infants. This $4.6 million model provides two components of support for integrating care:
- regionally specific sub-grants for integrating SUD treatment into primary and obstetric care sites that are appropriate to their community, and
- technical assistance to sub-grantees through a learning collaborative model.
MOM Model Subgrantees
The Department is excited to announce the three MOM Model subgrantees: Denver Health (Denver, CO), River Valley Family Health Centers (Montrose, CO), and Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association (Pueblo, CO).
Applying for a sub-grant
The sub grantee application period has closed. The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing invited RAEs, OB/GYN and/or SUD providers, clinics, and any other interested partners to apply to be a MOM model subgrantee in 2021. Any further opportunities to apply for MOM Model funding will be posted here in the future.
Additional Information
For any general questions or comments about the MOM grant, please contact the MOM Model Program Coordinator, Anoushka Millear. If you are interested in learning more about MOM services available in Denver, Montrose, or Pueblo, please contact Anoushka Millear.
To receive updates on the MOM Grant, please sign-up for the MOM Grant Newsletter. The newsletter will contain information on the application process, MOM Model updates, and more.
Additional information regarding this grant: