Bridging the gap through Screening, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment: The Perinatal SART Team

Poor pregnancy and neonatal outcomes among women who use alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs during pregnancy are a major public health concern. Data on use during pregnancy is often unreliable, inaccurate, or difficult to obtain. Riverside County, CA Department of Public Health Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Branch (MCAH), in collaboration with a team of multidisciplinary professionals and community leaders, spearheaded the implementation of the Perinatal Screening, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment (SART) program in Riverside County. The Perinatal SART Team utilizes a phased approach to recruit providers to screen pregnant women with the 4 P's Plusİ screening tool. The team also provides training to providers on using the screening tool, conducting assessments, and implementing brief pre-treatment interventions in their practices. MCAH provides case management with a public health nurse for all women who screened positive. The SART team provides professional and community outreach to address the impact of alcohol, tobacco and/or illicit drug use during pregnancy and the benefits of early intervention. In three years, the Perinatal SART program has recruited and trained over 100 clinicians/practitioners at 48 sites throughout Riverside County and completed approximately 20,000 screens. Riverside County data indicate substance use rates have dropped more than 50% once women know they are pregnant and are counseled on the negative impact of substance use on their baby. The multidisciplinary collaborative approach of the Perinatal SART Team has led to the successful reduction of the borders between public health, providers, and patients.