UK clinic helps pregnant women with opioid addiction

After coming to UK two years ago, Dr. Agatha Critchfield, an OB-GYN at UK HealthCare Women’s Health, was overwhelmed by the cases of pregnant women with opioid addiction she saw in her practice. So she decided to do something about it.

Dr. Critchfield created PATHways, an opioid treatment clinic for pregnant women recovering from addiction. It combines treatment with prenatal care, counseling and a support group. The program is based on the Centering Pregnancy model, which reduces negative outcomes and prepares women to have a child through group counseling and peer support.

PATHways is special because it works to help patients in three important ways. First, the program treats the medical condition of opioid addiction. Then it delivers specialized prenatal care. Finally, PATHways gives women the skills and knowledge to fulfill their maternal roles once their babies arrive.

The program was born out of necessity to serve a large population of prenatal patients coming to UK with substance abuse disorders. Critchfield said few evidence-based opioid treatment programs were designed for pregnant women. So she started one herself, and it has been successfully treating patients who might have otherwise not been helped.

Learn more about the PATHways program and how it has helped many mothers-to-be