Table 2 List of unique programs and services for PPWUD in Canada
Program Name | Location | Population | Year Founded | Purpose | Type of Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provincial Advocacy Network of Women Supporting Women [66] | British Columbia (provincial) | 5,000,879 | N/A | Provides peer support for women and people who use substances, including coordinated efforts to address harmful policy and practices that affect the women in the network and the people they represent | Non-profit |
British Columbia (provincial) | 5,000,879 | N/A | Aims to better support pregnant, postpartum and newly parenting people who use or have used substances. It creates and utilises formal connections between acute care facilities and community organisations | Non-profit/Registered charity | |
Pregnancy Outreach Program [81] | Abbotsford, British Columbia | 153,524 | N/A | Supports women throughout their pregnancies until six months after delivery, by promoting positive health practices and adequate weight gain for both the mother and child | Non-profit |
Transition to New Beginnings [82] | Burnaby, British Columbia | 249,125 | N/A | Provides transitional housing in a semi-independent living environment for pregnant women or new moms with infants, with low substance use needs | Non-profit |
Kamloops, British Columbia | 97,902 | N/A | Supports women’s belonging and recovery by walking with women and their families, facilitating healing, connections, and support | Non-profit | |
Baby’s Best Chance Pregnancy Outreach Program [81] | Mission, British Columbia | 41,519 | N/A | Supports women who are experiencing high-risk pregnancies, teens, women with drug or alcohol concerns, and women with low income | Non-profit |
Karis Support Society [84] | Okanagan, British Columbia | 403,940 | 2008 | Contributes to genuine social transformation in the Okanagan Valley by providing a safe home, support through recovery and life skills development for people struggling with life altering additions and mental health conditions | Non-profit |
Harmony House [85] | Prince George, British Columbia | 76,708 | N/A | Supportive housing for women who are struggling with mental health and/or problematic substance use, are pregnant or new mothers in danger of losing their child to the Care of the Ministry of Children and Families Development | Non-profit |
Ellendale Cradle [82] | Surrey, British Columbia | 568,322 | N/A | Helps women break the cycle of poverty, addiction, mental illness, homelessness, and crime | Non-profit |
Surrey, British Columbia | 568,322 | 2005 | Supports women who are pregnant or who have very young children at the time of intake who are also impacted by substance use and/or violence and abuse | Non-profit | |
Circle of Birth Keepers [66] | Surrey, British Columbia | 568,322 | N/A | Actively addresses the needs and gaps in birth work by training more Indigenous birth keepers and providing access to wrap-around care for Indigenous birthers to access support, programs, services, information, and supplies | Non-profit |
Families in Recovery (FIR) Square [64, 66, 68, 69, 72, 88, 89] | Vancouver, British Columbia | 662,248 | 2003 | The first program in Canada to care for women who use substances and their newborns exposed to substances in a single unit; helps women and their newborns stabilise and withdraw from substances, keeping mothers and babies together whenever possible and provides care from antepartum to postpartum and between hospital and community | Provincial health authority |
Vancouver, British Columbia | 662,248 | 1993 | Offers a broad range of on-site health, medical and social services and supports for women who are either pregnant or parenting young children and who are experiencing current or previous issues with substance use | Non-profit | |
Victoria, British Columbia | 91,867 | 2013 | Provides non-judgmental health care and social supports for pregnant and parenting women who have a history of substance use and may also be affected by mental health issues, violence, and trauma | Provincial health authority | |
Mothers for Recovery [102] | Victoria, British Columbia | 91,867 | N/A | Supports all pregnant, postpartum, and parenting people who identify as mothers and have or are using substances | Non-profit |
Alberta (Provincial) | 4,262,635 | N/A | Supports women to reduce or stop alcohol and/or drug use during pregnancy, to achieve and maintain recovery, and to support healthy pregnancies and lives for women and their children by addressing the needs of mothers and getting them stabilised in a whole host of ways | Provincial government | |
Aventa Centre of Excellence for Women with Addiction [62, 105] | Calgary, Alberta | 1,306,784 | 1970 | Offers a holistic treatment approach in helping women to overcome their addictions, and lead lives that are addiction free. Women help women to build resilience so that they may overcome the effects of trauma and addictions | Private with some provincially-funded services |
Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic [72] | Calgary, Alberta | 1,306,784 | N/A | Alberta Health Services physicians are working to launch a “rooming-in” program. The service would allow mothers and babies to stay together with a range of supports, related to withdrawal or stabilisation from drug use, parenting techniques and specialised care for newborns | Provincial health authority |
Edmonton, Alberta | 1,010,899 | 2011 | Works to decrease barriers to health and social services for street involved pregnant women by firmly grounding their work in a harm reduction approach and by providing culturally safe and trauma-informed care | Non-profit | |
Health for Two [107] | Edmonton, Alberta | 1,010,899 | N/A | A free program for women who need extra support to have a healthy pregnancy. Health for Two provides support throughout pregnancy and up to 2 months postpartum to women who require extra support to have a healthy pregnancy | Provincial government |
Aboriginal Prenatal Wellness Program [97] | Maskwacis First Nation, Alberta | 64 | 2005 | A culturally safe program that provides client‐centred prenatal care that is designed to empower women, families and communities. It was created in 2005 to serve Aboriginal women who weren't accessing the traditional system for prenatal care | Non-profit |
Red Deer, Alberta | 100,844 | 2019 | Brings together community partners and a multidisciplinary healthcare team to teach new moms who have used opioids during pregnancy how to care for their newborns — free of stigma and shame | Provincial health authority | |
The Women’s Program [108] | Red Deer, Alberta | 100,844 | N/A | Addresses the holistic needs of each woman, often facilitating connections to community and medical support and services. This includes: -Pregnancy -Personal health -Housing -Family and legal support -Addiction -Mental health | Non-profit |
Prenatal Outreach and Resource Team [109] | Regina, Saskatchewan | 226,404 | 2021 | The program is designed to create a culture shift in Saskatchewan that wraps supports around pregnant women with complex life situations by providing early and effective interventions in pregnancy that will reduce health complications in mothers and their infants and prevent children from being apprehended at birth | Non-profit/Charity |
Regina, Saskatchewan | 226,404 | N/A | Offers 24/7 residential support and programming for women who have an active addiction and are pregnant or who have recently had a baby, including supported housing, pre-natal and parenting supports and assistance with addressing addictions | Non-profit | |
Manitoba (provincial) | 1,342,153 | N/A | An outreach mentoring program that focuses on long term one-to-one relationship building with women and their families for up to three years | Provincial government | |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | 749,607 | 2013 | Provides support and resources to women who are pregnant or who have given birth in the past 12 months, and are involved with substances. The project helps to provide vital resources including access to support groups, prenatal care, advocacy, and cultural opportunities | Community health center | |
Grace Haven Young Parent Resource Centre [115] | Hamilton, Ontario | 569,353 | N/A | Community-based supports for pregnant adolescents/women and young, single parents (mothers and fathers) | Religious organisation |
Hamilton, Ontario | 569,353 | N/A | A community day treatment program for women who are pregnant or mothering young children and have substance addictions. Women attend once a week with their children; provides the opportunity to access addiction and parenting services based on individual needs | Religious organisation | |
Motherwise [63] | Kingston, Ontario | 132,485 | N/A | Offers information, support, referrals and counselling in a non-judgmental way that enables participants to feel safe and share freely; respects individuals’ goals within a harm reduction framework. You do not need to have custody of your children to receive support | Provincial government |
Thrive [116] | Kingston, Ontario | 132,485 | 2017 | A program for women who are pregnant and/or parenting children (under the age of 6) who are/have been experiencing a problem with opioids (oxycodone, Percocet®, heroin, Dilaudid®, morphine) or receiving methadone treatment; offers counselling, in-hospital and in-home support visits, parenting support and education, coordinating family care plans, and opportunities for community advisory group participation | Provincial health authority |
Oracle Pathway [117] | Ottawa, Ontario | 1,017,449 | N/A | Provides holistic perinatal care for pregnant people who use substances, with a harm reduction approach; facilitate collaboration between addiction treatment services, community-based antenatal care, outreach nursing, midwifery, and specialist obstetric services | Hospital |
Pregnancy/Parenting Outreach Program [118] | Sudbury, Ontario | 166,004 | N/A | A harm reduction program for pregnant or parenting mothers or fathers with children 6 years old and younger | Provincial government |
Toronto, Ontario | 2,794,356 | N/A | An early prevention and intervention program for pregnant and parenting women using substances and their young children aged 0–6 years | Non-profit | |
Bridges to Moms [122] | Toronto, Ontario | 2,794,356 | 2013 | The program works in a holistic and culturally responsive manner to reduce harm to pregnant and parenting women who use substances. Through this program they are also aiming to improve the lives of their young children | Non-profit |
Homeless At-Risk Prenatal [123] | Toronto, Ontario | 2,794,356 | 2007 | Provides high‐intensity prenatal home visiting and support to homeless pregnant women in the City of Toronto | Provincial government |
Toronto, Ontario | 2,794,356 | 1995 | Offers multidisciplinary addiction, obstetric and neonatal care to pregnant women in an empathic and non-judgmental environment | Hospital | |
Jessie [95] | Montreal, Quebec | 1,762,949 | N/A | Focuses on engaging parents in behaviour change regarding substance use and improving parenting practices to prevent child welfare reports or eliminate the risk of compromising the child's health and safety | Provincial government |
Mains dans la main [95] | Montreal, Quebec | 1,762,949 | 2005 | Offers support to future parents struggling with substance abuse, with the aim of maximising their chances of assuming responsibility for their child's care from birth. To this end, the program aims to strengthen and promote collaborative ties that will foster greater consistency in interventions and a better alignment of services between two institutions traditionally called upon to intervene separately in such situations: the hospital environment and the Youth Protection Branch | Hospital |
Parent–child assistance program (PCAP) [126] | Saint John, New Brunswick | 69,895 | 2018 | Provides personalised support for women/birthing people who use substances by pairing them with an advocate for three years | Non-profit |
Strengthening Families Program [126] | Saint John, New Brunswick | 69,895 | 2019 | Aims to promote positive relationships and social activities while decreasing the risk of adverse behaviours in the future | Non-profit |
Fetal Assessment Treatment Centre [127] | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 439,189 | N/A | Provides diagnostic services to assess the health or wellbeing of the unborn baby | Provincial health authority |
Obstetrical Day Unit [127] | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 439,189 | N/A | Improves patient care during the antepartum period through a coordinated approach to meet the needs of the patient and her family | Provincial health authority |
Prenatal Special Care Unit [127] | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 439,189 | N/A | Provides care to women and their families experiencing high risk | Provincial health authority |
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia | 9,471 | 1999 | Offers a support group at Pictou County Kids First specifically for moms 24 years of age and under | Non-profit | |
Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program [125] | Federal (Canada wide) | 36,991,981 | 1995 | Provides funding to community groups to help to improve the health of pregnant women, new mothers and their babies, who face challenges that put their health at risk, such as: • Poverty • Teen pregnancy • Social and geographic isolation • Substance use • Family violence | Federal government |