MANCHESTER, NH – Amoskeag Health will host its 13th Annual Morning Matters Breakfast virtually at 8 a.m., June 25, 2020. Morning Matters, traditionally a complimentary breakfast fundraiser at the DoubleTree Hotel, will be conducted via Zoom this year to accommodate social distancing and congregating regulations set by Governor Sununu.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substance use may include alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine, as well as opioids, narcotics, and prescription medications. Among pregnant women, these substances may have long-term physical and/or emotional effects on their children and families. Across New Hampshire, collaboration for programs and initiatives are changing the tide for moms and their families.
During the COVID pandemic, people who experience substance use disorder are further challenged with technology-dependent access to help. The homeless community lacks consistent lines of communication with services. Everyone is experiencing elevated stress levels that only worsens SUD. When a woman with SUD becomes pregnant, during a pandemic or not, her and her child’s health are at risk.
Amoskeag Health’s Perinatal SUD Program assists these moms with comprehensive physical, mental, and prenatal care throughout their pregnancy. Patients receive free pregnancy testing, counseling, medication assisted treatment, contraception options, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, Medicaid enrollment assistance, and case management.
The Keynote Speaker at this year’s virtual Morning Matters, is . Dr. Goodman has over 20 years of experience providing clinical care and developing programs to reduce the impact of substance use on pregnant women and parenting families. She will be joined by a panel of NH experts who will address the complex factors of substance use prevention, treatment and recovery for women during and after childbirth in New Hampshire.
The Perinatal SUD Panel will consist of the following experts from across NH:
- Gary Kaufman, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Elliot Health System;
- Molly Rossignol, DO, Medical Director, Substance Use Disorders, NH Healthy Families;
- Mary Cullen, DO, Family Practice/Obstetrical Medicine, Amoskeag Health;
- Meaghan Smith, MSN, RN, Director of Pediatrics, Women’s and Children’s Services, Elliot Health System; and
- Nina DeMarco, LICSW, MLADC, Substance Use Disorder Program Manager, Amoskeag Health
Funds raised at Morning Matters support the pediatric services at Amoskeag Health’s Dr. Selma Deitch Center for Children and Teens (Formerly Child Health Services) that remove barriers to care and provide physical, mental, and social support services.
This event is open to the public thanks to Keynote Sponsor People’s United Bank and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. A reservation is required in order to receive a link to the event. For more information and to register for Morning Matters, please visit: www.amoskeaghealth.org/morning-matters-2020.
Amoskeag Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit federally qualified health center offering high-quality, comprehensive, and family-oriented primary health care and support services since 1993. Founded in 1980, Amoskeag Health at The Dr. Selma Deitch Center for Children & Teens, formerly Child Health Services, is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of at-risk children. Through all of its programs, Amoskeag Health serves over 15,000 patients annually at four locations in Manchester. For more information visit www.amoskeaghealth.org.
