NORRISTOWN, Pa. (March 3, 2022) – Gaudenzia, Inc., one of the region’s largest non-profit providers of substance use disorder treatment, received a $129,393 grant recently to implement an evidenced-based, family-centered approach for pregnant and parenting women at its Vantage House facility in Lancaster.
The grant was awarded to Gaudenzia by the National Association of County and City Health Officials, which represents nearly 3,000 local health departments. Gaudenzia was one of eight entities around the country to receive a grant.
Gaudenzia will use the funding to help improve parent and child outcomes related to SUD, overdose, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with a goal of disrupting the multigenerational cycle of trauma and SUD. Pregnant and parenting women often are reluctant to seek treatment for SUD because they fear losing their children.
“Women and their children are among the most stigmatized populations that we serve,” said Dr. Dale Klatzker, chief executive officer of Gaudenzia. “We see every day the special toll that substance use disorders take on pregnant and parenting women, leading to untold costs related to the welfare of children and to the mental health and criminal justice systems.”
“Our mission is to provide these women the top evidence-based treatment available, while providing a safe and stable environment for them and their children that keeps families intact now and into the future.”
Gaudenzia has long been a national leader in the treatment of pregnant and parenting women, operating eight residential programs for this population in a footprint that includes Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Gaudenzia opened Vantage House in 1979, one of the first treatment centers for pregnant and parenting women in the nation.
Today, Vantage House is a 24-bed facility that allows women to bring up to two school-age children. Besides treatment for SUD, women receive counseling and parenting skills education that attend to the needs of the family as a unit to strengthen it and provide greater and lasting stability. Gaudenzia’s treatment model also seeks to mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences such as abuse or neglect that undermines the sense of safety and stability for children in homes where a parent has SUD or mental health problems.
The award to Gaudenzia was part of the association’s Comprehensive Community Approaches to Preventing Substance Use (CCAPS) program. This program supports initiatives that reduce overdose rates and prevent adverse childhood experiences.
More information on Gaudenzia’s programs, which help the most disenfranchised clients in the communities they serve, can be found at www.gaudenzia.org. Those who are in need of treatment can call Gaudenzia’s 24/7 Treatment and Recovery Helpline at 833-976-HELP (4357).
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
ABOUT GAUDENZIA, INC.
Gaudenzia, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment and recovery centers in the United States, with 51 facilities operating in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. The agency serves about 19,000 individuals annually and operates 117 and alcohol treatment programs for men and women. Since 1968, Gaudenzia has provided specialized services and programs to users of all demographics, including pregnant and parenting mothers, adolescents, people with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, and more. Those seeking help can call Gaudenzia’s 24/7 Treatment and Recovery Helpline at 833-976-HELP (4357). For more information, visit www.Gaudenzia.org.
