Moms recover from meth, keep family intact
Kids get to stay with their moms while mom is in treatment for chemical addiction. By Shelley Kurtz and KVAL Web StaffEUGENE, Ore. -- For Cheri, Kristina and Shantelle, having their babies taken away from them was a real wake-up call. "They took my baby from me because I told them I was high on meth," Cheri said. Meth-using moms can lose their babies to the foster care system because of the danger the drug poses to the child. Programs like the Family Reunion Program give meth-addicted but motivated mothers a path to recovery -- and an intact post-meth family. Willamette Family works with the Oregon Department of Human Services and a relief nursery to analyze which moms would be motivated to get their lives back in order and their babies back in their mothers' arms -- for good.
The mother and child bond is maintained rather than disrupted by treatment, said Kelly Augustadt of the Department of Human Services. "We can put them in here immediately, rather than saying ok, we're going to put this baby in foster care and you're going to have to wait to get into treatment and when you can, then this baby can get back with you, so right there, that mom that baby, the bond is going to be there," she explained. The average time spent in treatment is 4 to 6 months, with about 3 months of out-patient treatment and more parenting classes. |
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"We have 12 parenting beds, five of them funded," said Edith Baumgart with Willamette Family, Inc. "We're able to look at the families who are really motivated to do treatment, who are willing to do the volunteer re-unification program and to do the hard work it takes to get their children back with them."
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