Parent-Child Assistance Program Expands to North Central Oklahoma

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NORMAN, OKLA. – The Parent-Child Assistance Program, led by researchers at the University of Oklahoma, has recently expanded its services to the Enid area of north-central Oklahoma and is now accepting referrals. Known as PCAP, this program is an intensive home-visiting case management program for pregnant and parenting women with at-risk substance use during their pregnancy.

The one-year PCAP program plans to help 40 mothers in the Enid area obtain treatment and stay in recovery, linking them to community resources that will help them build and maintain healthy, independent lives for themselves and their children. The program also hopes to help prevent future drug and alcohol use during pregnancy.

“Our original study was a three-year program in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa,” said Heather Lepper-Pappan, Ph.D., PCAP Enid project director. “After receiving a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, we’re now testing a one-year model of the program in Enid, Oklahoma.”

For women to qualify for PCAP assistance, they must meet three criteria: be pregnant or up to 24 months postpartum, have engaged in at-risk alcohol or drug use during pregnancy, and not be well-connected to community services. Alternatively, women may also be eligible if they have a child with a diagnosed or suspected fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, currently engage in at-risk alcohol use, or are in childbearing years.

If women are accepted into the program, they will receive case management services from PCAP professionals for one year and participate in interviews, for which they will be compensated.

“We’re trying to determine if a one-year program can achieve similar outcomes we hope to see in the three-year program,” Lepper-Pappan said. “If so, we believe we can help more families and children and save costs for the state as well – particularly the foster care and criminal justice systems that women in these circumstances often come into contact with.”

Lepper-Pappan acknowledges the challenges associated with rural settings for these types of services, however. The primary role of PCAP case managers is to connect clients to services within their community. Depending on the location, these services might be limited or missing altogether.

“We need to identify gaps in services and programs that are not easily available in smaller cities and towns. By doing so, we can show the need for more substance use disorder services, more mental health services and other comprehensive services often needed,” said Julie Gerlinger, Ph.D., PCAP co-principal investigator. “This is our first step in determining if this can be a national model.”

Learn more about the PCAP program or refer someone who might benefit from this program.