Pregnant women across the Nepean region battling drug addiction will have more help to get clean after the announcement of $1.7 million in funding for services.
The allocation, over four years, is part of the NSW Government’s $75 million enhancement to drug and alcohol treatment services to help pregnant women and mothers, who want to get their life back on track.
Assistant Minister for Health, Pru Goward and Member for Penrith, Stuart Ayres, announced the funding on Tuesday afternoon at Nepean Hospital’s Centre For Addiction Medicine.
Mr Ayres said the increase in funding would allow more pregnant women to undertake specialist drug and alcohol treatment.
“This funding will see more vulnerable women in the area access specialist services throughout pregnancy and post-pregnancy and ensure that longer term coordinated care is available to help them in their journey,” he said.
“I’m particularly pleased that the funding will enhance the ice in pregnancy services to manage the complexities that these cases involve”.
Ms Goward added the funding was an important milestone in the NSW Government’s commitment to providing more access to life-changing treatment for women who want help.
“We know addicts who are pregnant are often highly motivated to change, but drugs, a lack of parenting knowledge, and limited access to support networks make it enormously difficult for them,” she said.
“Increasing access to these services, including longer-term term support post-delivery, can make a life-changing difference for these women and their children.”
The commitment was one of Mr Ayres’ last announcements for the year.
