Maternal SUD Toolkit

Providing Compassionate Care by Reducing Stigma

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a critical public health issue, and poor outcomes are often compounded by stigma—especially within healthcare settings. Our Maternal SUD Toolkit gives healthcare professionals (HCPs) practical, evidence-informed strategies for providing compassionate, stigma-free care to pregnant patients. Karna developed this toolkit in collaboration with key public health partners to help HCPs recognize and address SUD with empathy and clinical effectiveness.

The toolkit includes educational resources, communication guides, and actionable tools tailored for clinical environments.

Grand Rounds

This presentation and its supporting resources help HCPs understand how stigma and bias affect pregnant and parenting patients with SUD.

A clinician in scrubs with a stethoscope stands with arms folded in a hospital corridor, with four colleagues in scrubs and white coats standing behind her.

Building a Culture of Support Guide

This guide gives HCPs strategies to create safe spaces, build trust, and encourage patients who experience SUD to seek care.

PDFBuilding a Culture of Support guide
PDFBreak room posterA one-page summary of the guide to display in break rooms or other common areas where staff will see it.

A pregnant woman sits on a couch talking with another woman who is holding a document and gesturing as she speaks.

Webinar

This recorded live webinar for healthcare professionals and other patient-facing staff covers how to reduce stigma and improve outcomes for pregnant and parenting patients with SUD.

Continuing education (CE) credits were offered only to live participants.

Infographic

This interactive infographic follows Ana’s journey as she arrives at a clinic as a new pregnant patient with SUD. Her experience shows how stigma can affect patient treatment. Click through for tips on providing compassionate care every step of the way.

WebAna’s Journey: SUD infographic
PDFFree syndication instructionsAdd this resource directly to your website.

Video Series

This two-part video series provides an overview of key topics and strategies for addressing SUD in pregnant patients.

Part 1: Providing Care and Reducing Stigma for Pregnant Patients with SUD

PDFPart 1 discussion guideUse this guide to address stigma around SUD in clinical settings.

Part 2: Providing Compassionate Care by Reducing Stigma for Pregnant Patients with SUD

PDFPart 2 discussion guideEncourage reflection, collaboration, and practical application among HCPs.
PDFSBIRT scriptA script for clinicians implementing the SBIRT approach to reduce stigma and promote respectful care.
PDFValidated screening toolsA one-pager on screening tools validated for use during pregnancy.
PDFProvider resourcesAdditional SBIRT implementation resources.

Additional Resources

Karna has partnered with Momma’s Voices to provide a central location for maternal SUD resources. Their library includes materials from healthcare systems, perinatal quality collaboratives (PQCs), nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Visit the Momma’s Voices SUD Resource Hub

Acknowledgements

The Maternal Health Advisory Network (MHAN), launched by Karna in 2024 under a cooperative agreement with the CDC, is a multidisciplinary network of maternal health experts. MHAN supports PQCs in implementing programs that address maternal substance use disorders. We are proud to recognize the contributions of the MHAN members:

Christie AllenAIM/ACOG
Sarah BrileyColorado PQC
Claire ColesMaternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Program
Madonna GreenSAMHSA
Sevy Gurule, MDNew Mexico PQC
Stephen HayesHRSA Office of Women’s Health
Tipu V. Khan, MDCoastal Addiction Professionals
Heather MauerNational Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
Marjorie C. Meyer, MDUniversity of Vermont Medical Center
Christina MimmsNational Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
Stacey Cunningham Penny, DrPHNational Institute for Children’s Health Quality
Cara Poland, MDAmerican Society of Addiction Medicine
Natasha ReevesCommunity representative
Nima Sheth, MDSAMHSA
Mishka Terplan, MDFriends Research Institute
Connie ThompsonCommunity representative
Jonathan WebbAssociation of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
Suzanne WertmanACNM/Healing Your Almond
Lee WilsonHRSA

This resource was developed by Karna, LLC and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $250,000.00 with 100% funded by CDC. The contents reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC or the U.S. Government.