BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health has launched Project M.O.M. (Maternal Overdose Mortality), which aims to reverse the urgent crisis of accidental opioid overdose as the primary cause of maternal mortality in Louisiana.

"Accidental opioid overdose has been the leading cause of pregnancy-associated death in Louisiana since 2018, and this is a statewide effort to reverse that terrible trend," Deputy Secretary Pete Croughan said. "Every preventable death is a tragedy, but the death of a pregnant woman or young mom doubles the tragedy, as the loss of the mother endangers her child."

Project M.O.M. aims to reduce pregnancy-associated opioid overdose deaths by 80 percent within the next three years.

LDH says medical partners will work across hospital systems to increase substance use screening among prenatal providers and facilities, link emergency room encounters to rapid outpatient treatment and increase access to lifesaving medications, such as naloxone, to prevent overdose mortality.

The project website includes a form where hospitals, providers, and community members can express their interest in participating in this initiative.