Collaborative awarded $1.6 million PrimeWest Health grant to reduce substance abuse during pregnancy

BEMIDJI, MN - Sanford Bemidji Medical Center (SBMC), in collaboration with Beltrami County Health and Human Services and Red Lake Family & Children's Services, announced today that they have secured more than $1.6 million in grant funding from PrimeWest Health's Community Reinvestment Grant Program, to reduce prenatal substance abuse in Beltrami, Clearwater and Hubbard County.

There is an increasingly common trend of substance abuse, specifically opiate use, during pregnancy across the nation. However, it is more evident in communities where there is a high poverty level and a high number of individuals on medical assistance programs. According to Sanford, in 2010 2.87% of newborns at SBMC were placed on a 72 hour hold, due to prenatal substance abuse exposure. In 2013 that number increased to 6.65%.