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Reducing Stigma in Perinatal Substance Use Care: Training Impact Summary Now Available

By Katie Breen, MPH

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From 2023–2025, CPCQC partnered with lived experience experts from HardBeauty and the Perinatal Peer Support Doula Program at the CU College of Nursing to deliver a groundbreaking training aimed at reducing stigma toward pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorder (SUD). Accidental overdose is the second-leading cause of maternal death in Colorado, and provider stigma remains a major barrier to care.

The training reached 1,454 healthcare providers across 29 hospitals and multiple care settings. Evaluation findings, published after peer review in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, suggest statistically significant improvements in provider knowledge, empathy, confidence, and comfort in caring for people with perinatal SUD.

CPCQC’s Turning the Tide initiative will continue this training in 2026. To be notified when training dates are announced, please subscribe to our newsletter or visit our events page.

Read the one-pager below to learn more about the training, and check out the peer-reviewed article!

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