Grant-funded programs describe neonatal and recovery services available to Mohave County families

Hushabye Nursery and WestCare gave a joint presentation to the Mohave County Board of Health on services funded through opioid settlement grants, describing programs for substance‑exposed infants, pregnant and parenting people, and recovery supports across Mohave County.

Shauna Anderson, Hushabye Nursery, told the board Hushabye is an inpatient nursery and outpatient behavioral health provider that serves substance‑exposed infants and their families statewide, and said the agency had used opioid settlement funding to expand services into Mohave County. Anderson said Hushabye’s model emphasizes early prenatal engagement, one‑to‑one caregiving for infants going through withdrawal and family‑centered support so parents can room in with babies and participate in recovery and parenting programs.

Anderson described the Eat, Sleep, Console model Hushabye uses to reduce medication use and shorten hospital stays. She said the typical hospital NICU stay for an exposed infant averages about 22 days, but Hushabye’s 2024 data showed an average length of stay near 9.3 days (historically about 8.5 days) across roughly 1,000 infants served over four years. Anderson said 99 percent of Hushabye families are covered by AHCCCS (Arizona’s Medicaid program) and that only 7.3 percent of Hushabye infants who had not already received opioid medication at transfer required such medication, compared with an estimated 98 percent of infants treated in the NICU.

“And these babies are not born addicted. They are born dependent,” Anderson said, urging prenatal engagement and coordinated support to reduce maternal overdose deaths and improve infant outcomes.

Cheryl, speaking for WestCare, described a continuum of outpatient and residential services that the nonprofit provides in Mohave County and surrounding areas, including residential treatment that can keep mothers and babies together up to 12 months and recovery housing for families. WestCare representatives said opioid grant funding has helped hire designated opioid counselors, support case management and transition programs from grant funding to Medicaid billing where possible. Cheryl noted a recent ARPA‑funded purchase of a five‑bedroom house to provide housing for women and children and a separate apartment converted to a supervised‑visitation space for Department of Child Safety (DCS) cases.

WestCare said navigation services — helping clients get to medical, dental and other appointments — and robust aftercare programs are crucial to maintaining recovery and reducing relapse. The presenter said their combined programs work with DCS, county detention and the Arizona Department of Corrections for continuity of care for pregnant people who are incarcerated.

Board members asked about clinical oversight for Hushabye: Anderson said the nursery has a pediatric medical director, a neonatal nurse practitioner who sees babies daily, two registered nurses on staff at all times, and CARF accreditation. Board members also asked for sourcing of cost‑comparison figures; Anderson said she would follow up with documentation and send the presentation PDF to the board.

The presentations were informational; no formal board action was taken on program operations during the meeting.