Program for mothers experiencing addiction grows in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — To determine who helped Kelsie Buchanan get clean and sober, you have to start with her 3-year-old son, Oliver.

In the fall of 2020, upon discovering she was pregnant with her son, Buchanan searched for a program to help her quit her addiction to heroin. She wanted to change her life as she prepared for her son's arrival.

A Google search led her to the Substance Use in Pregnancy Recovery Addiction Dependence — SUPeRAD — a program for women just like her, who were pregnant and addicted to drugs.

"I really believe that if I had not gotten this help, I would not have been around to give birth to Oliver," Buchanan, of Millcreek, said. "The people there didn't judge me. They helped me and were kind to me. I had never experienced anything like it."

On Thursday morning, SUPeRAD supporters, employees and organizers celebrated the opening of a third location in Utah, in Salt Lake City's Rose Park neighborhood.

Described as "one-stop shopping," women who are pregnant and acknowledge dependence on various drugs can receive prenatal and postpartum care from medical staff for free. They also have access to social workers and connections to people in the recovery community interested in getting clean.

Clients attending the celebration Thursday and noted the lack of judgment for their various predicaments, which is not always the case for pregnant women who struggle with addiction.

For program staff, that is a side goal, along with keeping these women safe.

"Making them feel comfortable and safe keeps them coming back," said Aubree Abrams, a clinical nurse coordinator for the program. "This keeps them being open and honest with us, as well."

Staff who work with the women agree, seeing unbiased care as key to health care.

"Everybody deserves great medical care," said Shauna Filion, a lead care coordinator. "And everybody deserves to be treated like a human being with some compassion and dignity."

Women interested in participating in the program can begin the process by calling a central number but can receive services in one of the three locations: South Jordan, University of Utah Health system spaces and Rose Park. Staff noted on Thursday morning that they once had one space open for half a day. Now, due to increased demand, the program continues to expand in an attempt to fill the need for this care.

The three locations represent the reality that women in every part of the Wasatch Front are struggling with addiction issues while pregnant. Consistently during the celebration, speakers addressed the fact that addiction touches all communities regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, neighborhood and more.

Buchanan knows this as well as anyone. Her addiction began when she was prescribed Percocet following an injury. Similar to others, she became addicted to the drug after her four-month prescription was gone, eventually moving on to heroin, which was cheaper to obtain.

She is now committed to helping other women who are interested in getting medical treatment and, potentially, getting clean and sober.

She has made friends who do not use, has a positive relationship with her family and wants to be of service to others.

If not for finding out about her pregnancy in 2020, none of it would have been possible. And without the Substance Use in Pregnancy Recovery Addiction Dependence program, her belief in herself may not have been there, either.

"I tell people all the time, my worst day sober is better than my best day when I was using," Buchanan said. "Life is good. I mean, I have a key to my sister's house. I never thought that would ever happen. But that's what all of this has given me."

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