Mothers’ Treatment Program Gets Grant
The Ventura County Health Care Agency has received a $1.8-million federal grant to establish a counseling and treatment program for chemically dependent pregnant women and recent mothers.
The five-year grant from the Health and Human Services Department will pay for day care and live-in treatment for 20 women and their children at a time, said Stephen Kaplan, director of the county’s alcohol and drug programs.
He said as many as six of the women and their children will live in a safe house as part of the program. The rest of those in the program will continue to live at home.
“This is a major thrust for our agency and the county,” Kaplan said. “Everybody is concerned about chemically dependent women at childbearing age.
“This will be the county’s first attempt to pull all the necessary components together to work with these people from a health-care perspective.”
Kaplan said the county is negotiating a lease for the program’s day-treatment facility. A location has not yet been chosen for the live-in shelter, he added.
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