Our Program at a Glance
- 250+ perinatal women with substance use disorder have received treatment
- 45 Kentucky counties represented, primarily in central and eastern Kentucky
- 65% of our mothers are parenting
- Many of our mothers are on a PATH to become peer mentors and peer support specialists
What is Beyond Birth?
Beyond Birth is the period of time when you have been discharged from OB care but remain in the adjustment period of becoming a new mom. Our Beyond Birth program is a holistic approach for women with substance use disorders. Our program incorporates educational groups, individual counseling, group counseling, peer support and the medical treatment of substance use and mental health disorders. Patients are encouraged to bring their infants and children with them to appointments which allows us to offer guidance on infant and toddler care as the family adjusts to their new roles and routines.
Why Beyond Birth?
The PATHways program began as a prenatal care initiative of the College of Nursing. Women with substance use disorders were provided group-led nursing care in conjunction with their medical appointments. Facilitated groups allowed the women to explore their pregnancy along with making plans for their future, including family planning, birth control options, breastfeeding planning and introduction to infant soothing techniques. With traditional OB care, we then planned to see patients up to their 6 week postpartum appointments with plans to then refer them to other recovery programs to continue to work on their substance use disorders. We quickly realized that 
not only were there very few programs to refer our patients to, but that the patients had become very invested in their recovery process within our program. It did not take long to discover we were onto something meaningful for our patients, so we simply began to do what we thought was “the next best thing” for our moms and babies.
Our program as of today is a compilation of simply doing “the next best thing” as we have moved forward. We started with a small idea and continued to make small steps and changes that would improve the lives of the families that we serve. We are committed to being a critical link in the Plan of Safe Care for children of the Commonwealth and to continue to support our patients as they do the work that will break the cycle of abuse and substance use for this generation that has been so impacted by the opioid crisis.
The program has continued to grow and external funding for expansion has been secured. Read about it here.
Currently Accepting Patients!
Beyond Birth Comprehensive Recovery Center Community Referral Process
The Beyond Birth program accepts parenting women who are age 18 or older who have at least one child age 0-5 years. Referred women must have a substance use disorder diagnoses and be able to provide information about where this diagnosis was received. Patients must also be insured by Medicaid or a private insurance plan. The Beyond Birth Comprehensive Recovery Program provides parenting women the opportunity to complete an entire DCBS case plan within Beyond Birth along with long-term, outpatient (SUD) treatment and access to medication-assisted treatment. Services offered include: Domestic violence class Group therapy Individual therapy The Incredible Years parenting class Medication evaluation and management Peer support Enhanced case management services: Weekly/bi-weekly/monthly reports to DCBS case managers Random UDS screens On location supervised visits an option Staff participation in case planning Intake Process: Referral information can be sent to Beyond Birth via this online form Intake health physical (including STI, Hep C, vaccination review) Intake behavioral health exam Addiction medicine assessment The assessment will take 2-3 days to complete and a treatment recommendation and plan will be written and presented to the referral source. Patients may or may not be recommended for medication assistance based on addiction medicine evaluation. Patients may continue to participate in the program even if not prescribed medication. Assessments completed at Beyond Birth are only for patients who meet criteria for services with the Beyond Birth program. Referrals for level of care recommendations will not be accepted. Beyond Birth program plans are based on individual patient need. The court/case manager contact should provide communication preferences to the BB team and ensure a shared release of information is in place. You will also need to fax pertinent records to: 859-257-5274. Once the professional referral has been made, the referred patient must call and make the appointment to initiate the intake process. Beyond Birth Comprehensive Recovery Center 1382 Bull Lea Road Lexington, KY 40511 Intake Nurse: 859-562-1411 Fax medical records to: 859-257-5274
Where We are Located
1382 Bull Lea Road
Lexington, KY 40511
In the news:
UK College of Nursing, UK HealthCare Program Helps Pregnant Women Through Opioid Crisis
Medication Assisted Treatment is Option for Opioid Use Disorder
Other Media:
Beyond Birth Marketing Booklet
2017 Selected PATHways Scholarship and Dissemination
InStep Magazine - A Journey of Healing and Hope
Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco - "Smoking Among Pregnant Women in Outpatient Treatment for Opioid Dependence: A Qualitative Inquiry"