Target Audience: Physicians, nurses, social workers, quality professionals, risk managers, healthcare executives, nurse midwives, doulas, lactation specialists, labor and delivery nurses, and all healthcare professionals working with women and families impacted by trauma and addiction.

Description: Please join the Connecticut Hospital Association for an afternoon of interactive learning and sharing.  During this four-hour activity providers will have the opportunity to refresh their understanding of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and plans of safe care.  Experts from across the state will present on stigma and how it affects birthing persons and share strategies on how to talk about plans of safe care with patients.  Participants will also have the benefit of a presentation from the lived-experience perspective.  There also will be an opportunity to interact with your colleagues during a simulation break-out exercise.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this activity, participants can expect to:

• Review the history of Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in Connecticut.
• Identifying resource is not an educational objective
• Discuss the benefit of having a Plan of Safe Care (POSC) for pregnant women.
• Describe POSC considerations–including those for non-binary and transgender patients.
• Describe the process for CAPTA reporting.
• Discuss the various members of the interprofessional patient care team needed to help patients successfully complete a POSC.
• Describe the process at UConn John Dempsey Hospital for identifying and following up with patients needing a POSC.
• Identify areas of success and barriers in efficiently and effectively completing POSC with prenatal patients.

Your Faculty:

Kris Robles, LCSW, earned a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. He also received his bachelor’s degree for Therapeutic Recreation from Springfield College. Mr. Robles has been working with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) since 2014, and in his current role as the clinical behavioral health manager, oversees substance use, recovery, and intimate partner violence. He previously worked as a supervising clinician and consultant with DCF, and has worked in the private sector managing evidence-based models and programs, working with youth in the juvenile justice system. Mr. Robles also previously worked as a consultant in detention centers, volunteered his time in the community for LGBTI Plus youth and adults, and is a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Social Work (NASW).

Shelly Nolan, MS, LPC, is a Director for Women’s Services within the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). She oversees the women’s specific continuum of care throughout the state, including services targeted for pregnant and parenting women. She partners with other state agencies, the healthcare system, and community partners to work though barriers specific to this unique demographic, while implementing new initiatives and collaborative efforts to overcome challenges. Her work includes onsite evaluation and support to ensure contract compliance, and she oversees the execution of several SAMHSA grant projects targeted at addressing the specific needs of women and families, LGBTQ+ individuals, and integration of peer support services. Ms. Nolan earned a master’s degree in Counseling and is a CT Licensed Professional Counselor.

Rebecca Petersen, LCSW, is a Program Manager for Women’s Services within the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). She works directly with the Women & Children’s residential and REACH programs, and participates in a variety of community based collaboratives and work groups aimed at supporting women’s specific holistic needs, as well as the LGBTQ+ population. Ms. Petersen manages the implementation of grants targeted at expanding services and professional development throughout the DMHAS system of care, specifically regarding intimate partner violence, doula support, and LGBTQ+ training and consultation. She also plays a vital role in the integration of reproductive healthcare throughout the DMHAS service continuum, and is certified in One Key Question. In prior roles, Ms. Petersen worked within the Department of Children and Families, private nonprofit agencies, and private practice specializing in trauma, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, LGBTQ+ individuals, and substance use disorders. She earned her MSW and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

Hendrée Jones, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the School of Medicine, University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill. She is also the executive director of UNC Horizons, a comprehensive drug treatment program for pregnant and parenting women and their drug-exposed children. She is an Adjunct Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Jones is an internationally recognized expert in the development and examination of both behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for pregnant women and their children in risky life situations.

Siobhan Feliciano, MS, LPC, LADC, is a Program Manager for Women’s Services within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). Ms. Feliciano spent the majority of her professional career working with clients who have a primary substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis, including opioid use disorders, in a variety of treatment settings. Her experience includes providing direct clinical care to pregnant and post-partum women in private, non-profit community based programs in Connecticut. As a program leader, she implemented critical initiatives related to women’s health and wellness such as: One Key Question, Zero Suicide, Trauma and Gender (TAG), CAPTA/Plans of Safe Care, and expanding access to MAT. In her current role with DMHAS, she provides expertise, guidance, and support to women in specific SUD treatment programs across the state—in multiple levels of care—to improve outcomes. Ms. Feliciano serves as the Project Director of the Parents Recovering from Opioid Use Disorders (PROUD) program—a competitive 3 year SAMHSA grant awarded to CT DMHAS to work with pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders and their family members in Central CT. She is also an active participant in multiple professional women-specific collaboratives.

Chris Morosky, MD, MS, FACOG, is an attending physician, generalist division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UConn John Dempsey Hospital. Dr. Morosky is also an associate professor at the School of Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, and serves as the Chairman of the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Dr. Morosky is also a member of the Society of Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology, Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, American Medical Association, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Michele Harrison, MSW, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 13 years of experience in hospital and community behavioral health settings. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in social work from Seton Hall University and a Master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut. Ms. Harrison is currently employed at UConn Health as a clinical social worker dedicated to the Women’s Center. She has extensive experience meeting the psychosocial needs of women children and families.

Agenda

 15 minutes        Welcome and Introductions

20 minutes         History of CAPTA by Kris Robles, LCSW

45 minutes        Plans of Safe Care Overview by Shelly Nolan, MS, LPC, and Rebecca Peterson, LCSW

45 minutes        Eliminating Stigma and Discrimination: Compassionate Care for Pregnant and Post-partum People with Substance Use Disorders by Hendrée Jones, PhD

30 minutes        Plans of Safe Care Vignettes by Kris Robles, LCSW; Shelly Nolan, MS, LPC; Rebecca Peterson, LCSW; and Siobhan Feliciano, MS, LPC, LADC

30 minutes        Plans of Safe Care Provider Success Story by Christopher Morosky, MD, MS, FACOG, and Michele Harrison, MSW, LCSW

30 minutes        Q&A and Discussion