News Release

Temple launches Center of Excellence to address opioid use in pregnancy

Temple/Wedge Center of Excellence funded by $500,000 grant from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Grant and Award Announcement

Temple University Health System

(Philadelphia, PA) - Pregnancy is a brief but powerful window of opportunity to identify and treat opioid addiction. However, drug treatment options are limited as many programs don't accept pregnant women, which can lead to continued drug use, withdrawal or harm to the developing fetus. Through an innovative partnership with Wedge Medical Center, a North Philadelphia mental health and drug/alcohol treatment facility, Temple will work to narrow this treatment gap as a newly designated Center of Excellence which will serve more than 300 pregnant women each year. The Temple Wedge Opioid (TWO) Treatment Program brings together experts in addiction medicine, high risk pregnancy and mental health care to provide state-of-the-art care to pregnant women and their partners.

"Neonatal abstinence syndrome occurs when babies experience withdrawal after birth because the mother used opioids during pregnancy," says Laura Goetzl, MD, MPH, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University and Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Temple University Hospital. "Over the past decade, rates of maternal opioid use have skyrocketed, which has led to many medical issues with their babies as well as increased costs of care."

Funded by a $500,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Temple/Wedge Center of Excellence offers evaluation by experts in high-risk pregnancy and psychiatry, and offers much-needed access to drug treatment, counseling, and specialized prenatal consultation. Rather than simply treating the addiction, the Center will treat the entire person, integrating behavioral health, primary care and, when needed, evidence-based, medication-assisted treatment.

"Referrals come from primary care providers, emergency departments, inpatient care and correctional facilities," says Laura A. Hart, MD, Assistant Professor of Ob/Gyn at LKSOM and the Medical Director of the Center of Excellence. "During the first visit, we examine patients to determine whether they could be treated with buprenorphine, a legal medication that is used to treat opioid addiction."

In addition to screenings and maintenance treatment, the TWO Program also provides a gateway to psychiatric evaluation and helps patients create a mental health treatment plan.

"Somewhere between one half to two-thirds of our population has some sort of psychiatric disorder either because of, or prior to, drug abuse, which is then worsened by the drugs," says Mary Morrison, MD, MS, Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry at LKSOM and Psychiatric Director of the Center of Excellence. "Psychiatric treatment can include medication and therapy in the outpatient setting and may also involve helping patients meet basic needs such as food and shelter."

Once evaluated, most patients return to their primary obstetrician, but those with significant mental health issues can also be referred by their provider to receive combined obstetric and psychiatric care at Temple's Episcopal Campus. All patients will receive ongoing buprenorphine therapy, counseling and drug testing through Wedge.

"Temple and Wedge also educate local obstetricians and work with other maternity programs to make sure we're all offering the best care," adds Dr. Goetzl. "What we've really created is a central hub in North Philadelphia that addresses the dire need for community-based multidisciplinary care of pregnant women battling opioid use disorder."

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More information about the TWO Program is available by calling Wedge at 215-276-3922.

About Temple Health

Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $1.6 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH), ranked among the "Best Hospitals" in the region by U.S. News & World Report; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Jeanes Hospital, a community-based hospital offering medical, surgical and emergency services; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM), established in 1901, is one of the nation's leading medical schools. Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 840 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Katz School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to U.S. News & World Report, LKSOM is among the top 10 most applied-to medical schools in the nation.

Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System (TUHS) and by the Katz School of Medicine. TUHS neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with TUHS member organizations. Each TUHS member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents.


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