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EMPOWER program warns of looming funding gap while reporting expansion in peer and care supports for pregnant people with substance use disorder

Joint Interim Standing Committee on Health and Human Services · February 17, 2026

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Summary

EMPOWER’s executive director told the committee the program provides individualized care, peer support and home visiting for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders, serving 180 unduplicated clients in 2025, but warned state opioid response funds will end in September and threaten the program’s continuity.

Dr. Andrea Peterson, executive director of the EMPOWER program at Rosemont University, told the committee EMPOWER offers person‑centered recovery supports for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders, including individualized care plans, peer support, counseling, home visiting and stage‑based education.

She described outcomes and scale: in 2025 the program delivered about 860 case‑management sessions, 578 individual peer support sessions, more than 1,000 targeted referrals, completed 90 intakes and served 180 unduplicated clients. The program also expanded geographic coverage beyond Clark County to Washoe, Carson City, Lyon, Storey and Churchill counties.

Peterson warned the committee that the State Opioid Response funding that currently supports EMPOWER will end in September, which would leave clients without services if alternative funding is not found. She asked legislators to consider sustainable reimbursement mechanisms—potentially Medicaid billing pathways, opioid settlement funds, or other state supports—and referenced recommendations from the perinatal behavioral health study that would support sustainability (e.g., reimbursement for peer specialists, pregnancy health home options).

Committee members discussed potential funding streams and insurance coverage; presenters suggested opioid settlement funds and Medicaid waiver/section 1115 strategies as possible avenues. No formal action was taken; EMPOWER will follow up with grant and financial details as requested by committee members.