Volunteers of America’s Freedom House is officially coming to Owensboro, offering a rehabilitation center aimed at helping pregnant women and new mothers recover from drug addiction while also protecting their children.
Volunteers of America President & CEO Jennifer Hancock said that when the opioid crisis started coming to Kentucky, the program — nationally recognized for its focus on the mother and children — tripled in size.
“The program seeks to address maternal addiction by allowing mom to come into treatment to bring all of her kids with her, and give her a safe place to heal and to allow kids to heal from the trauma they’ve been exposed to,” Hancock said.
Through the program, they try to have the mom attached to Freedom House as a provider of services for her first 3 years. To do so, they offer housing and other resources while she completes the program.
Hancock said they have delivered 283 healthy babies since the start of the program.
She said while the length of the program varies on numerous factors — the severity of substance use, history of treatment, pregnancy stage, etc. — they try their best to ensure the physical and mental health of the entire family.
Freedom House also works to reunite families and continue the family-centric treatment environment.
“We believe so strongly that it’s our role to deliver real health care outcomes, not just focusing on the number of people we serve, but the outcome of what their lives are like because of their involvement with Freedom House,” Hancock said.
The program is adding three new locations to the commonwealth. The Owensboro location has yet to be solidified; however, Hancock hopes to have a site within the next 60 to 90 days.
In the meantime, she said the support that the organization has received from Owensboro thus far has been beyond what was expected. Hancock said they are receiving funding from State Rep. Suzanne Miles and State Sen. Matt Castlen plus organizations such as the PNC Foundation and the Hager Educational Foundation.
“My colleagues and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and the outpouring of support,” Hancock said. “We haven’t found another community that has exceeded the level of support that Owensboro has offered us and we just can’t wait to get started.”
