Help break the stigma.
Learn about the Eliminating Bias in the Dyad Care project.
Join EBDC
The EBDC project is currently open to any Virginia hospital that would like to join. Those interested should attend the January 21 info session. All of this work will be rooted in a respectful care and eliminating bias framework, to ensure when working with our pregnant and parenting families experiencing substance use disorder they receive optimal care to improve outcomes among this population.
What we’re doing
The Eliminating Bias in the Dyad Care (EBDC) project is for all of our pregnant and parenting families who are experiencing the impacts of substance use disorder (SUD). Through EBDC, Virginia hospitals and birth facilities will implement quality improvement projects to encourage respectful, high-quality care. EBDC participants will break the stigma and improve outcomes for mom-baby dyads affected by substance use disorder and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.
Substance abuse disorder can impact any Virginian. The EBDC project helps us take the first step in acknowledging the issue and checking our biases at the door.
per 1,000 birth hospitalizations in 2022 involved neonatal abstinence syndrome.
More likely to experience Severe Maternal Morbidity if screened positive for SUD at time of birth.
Pilot Hospitals
The following hospitals were part of the initial EBDC pilot run in 2024:
- Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
- Centra Lynchburg General Hospital
- Winchester Medical Center
- UVA Health Medical Center
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Substance Use Environmental Scan
The VNPC is accepting provider responses on a substance use environmental scan. The results from this survey will help us to identify areas of needed improvement in the space of substance exposure and substance use in mothers and infants. Responses are confidential, and the only results shared will be of aggregate summaries.
Please know that no personal identification is required for this survey and sharing it is optional. If you have any further questions or considerations, please reach out to VNPC data analyst, Evan Isaacs, at evan.isaacs@vcuhealth.org.
Please forward this survey to any and all colleagues that work with pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use and/or substance exposed infants.
How stigma can impact care
Stigmas are negative ideas about a person or group that sets them apart. Stigmas against parents with substance use disorder can impact the kind of healthcare they receive, or limit them from receiving healthcare at all. This can lead to poor health outcomes for parents and their children.
Substance Use
Substance use is the act of using a substance, which might be alcohol or drugs.
Substance use disorder
Substance use disorders occur when someone is using alcohol and/or drugs enough that it causes “clinically significant impairment.” This might look like new or worsening health problems, or losing the ability to carry out responsibilities like going to work or picking up the kids from daycare.
Bears Breaking Down Stigma
VNPC’s mascot, the black bear, helps educate on substance use, resources, stigma, and harm reduction in these social media carousels. Click on each thumbnail in the gallery to learn about these important topics, and feel free to download and share!
Miracle’s Story
A story of resilience in motherhood, childbirth and recovery.
Shared with Miracle’s permission as part of the VNPC’s Turn the Page Project, a series of digital storytelling workshops for birthing persons to provide a supportive space where each respective group can gather to reflect, share their stories, and learn from each other.