The LincolnHealth Miles Maternity Unit in Damariscotta is partnering with the Perinatal Quality Collaborative for Maine (PQC4ME) and Healthy Lincoln County to launch an innovative new project, designed to reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorder and to decrease the number of postpartum overdose deaths.

As part of this project, those having a baby at the LincolnHealth will be offered a free take-home first-aid kit, prepared and provided by Healthy Lincoln County. The kit includes basic first aid supplies, mental health resources, information on local recovery resources and Naloxone (Narcan), a safe medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Acceptance of the kit is confidential and voluntary.

Throughout pre-natal and postpartum care, Lincoln Medical Partners’ Women’s Center and Miles Maternity healthcare providers will offer a safe space to talk with families about signs of overdose and how to safely administer Naloxone. These conversations will also emphasize that opioid overdoses can happen to anyone, including those taking prescription opioid pain relievers after childbirth or surgery. Children may also be accidentally poisoned by opioids.

LincolnHealth is proud to join this statewide effort to educate community members and dispense Naloxone in the hope of preventing opioid overdose deaths.