Characteristics of substance use disorder and mental health disorder treatment facilities with perinatal programs

Substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders (MHD) are major health concerns during the perinatal period (conception to one year postpartum). However, many individuals with perinatal SUD or MHD do not receive adequate treatment, and most treatment facilities do not offer services tailored to this population's unique needs. This study examines the proportion of treatment facilities in the United States (US) providing perinatal services, as well as facility- and state-level factors associated with offering such services.

Data were drawn from the 2022 National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey, an annual cross-sectional survey of all known public and private SUD and MHD treatment facilities in the US. The sample consisted of 6995 facilities providing SUD treatment (SUD-only) and 9134 facilities offering combined SUD and MHD treatment. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multilevel logistic regression models examined treatment facility characteristics and the impact of facility- and state-level factors on the likelihood of offering perinatal services.

Only 32.7% of SUD-only treatment facilities and 31.1% of combined SUD/MHD treatment facilities offered perinatal programs. More than half of these treatment facilities provided services critical to the perinatal population, including transportation assistance, social service support, trauma-informed therapy, and telehealth. Payment type (i.e., Medicaid acceptance, offer of free or low-cost treatment), for-profit treatment facility ownership, and receipt of state and federal grant funding were associated with a significantly increased likelihood of the treatment facility providing perinatal services.

Findings indicate there is a pressing need for SUD and MHD treatment facilities to expand their services to include care for individuals in the perinatal period, as well as increase the availability of essential services (e.g., integrated primary care) and ancillary services (e.g., childcare). Further research is needed to understand at which timepoint(s) facilities provide treatment (i.e., pregnancy and/or the postpartum period) and which types of essential and ancillary services are most beneficial during the perinatal period.