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A new recovery program launching in New Mexico next spring will offer free addiction support, prenatal care, and family stabilization services to pregnant women, at no cost to participants.
The program is funded through a $450,000 state grant, meaning eligible women will not pay out of pocket for the core services involved.
The nonprofit New Mexico Appleseed is developing the program in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Health and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
It will serve 15 pregnant women in their first trimester who are already receiving care through UNM’s Milagro Clinic or FOCUS family clinic.
Who Qualifies for This Free Program
Participants must be in their first trimester of pregnancy and connected to care through UNM’s Milagro Clinic or FOCUS family clinic at the time they enroll.
The 20-month recovery program runs from early pregnancy through one year postpartum, and enrolled women receive $250 a week for clean drug screens during that period, along with a broader package of no-cost support services.
Jennifer Ramo, founder and executive director of New Mexico Appleseed, said the program is designed to interrupt what she called the “fentanyl and drug use to foster care pipeline,” in which babies born substance-exposed often face either removal into foster care or unsafe conditions at home.
According to the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, more than two dozen drug-exposed newborns have died after leaving hospitals with their parents, a statistic Ramo pointed to as part of the case for a different approach.
How to Access These Resources
Beyond the weekly payments for clean drug screens, the recovery program provides prenatal care coordination, housing support, food assistance, job training, and financial literacy resources, all at no cost to participants.
Ramo said the cash incentive is only one part of the model. “Let’s center mom and keep her safe so she can keep baby safe,” she said, describing the goal as stabilizing the whole family rather than treating addiction in isolation from housing, income and prenatal health.
The approach draws on research showing that immediate rewards following clean drug screens can support recovery, a strategy sometimes called contingency management.
Combining that incentive with wraparound services, rather than relying on the payments alone, is central to how the outpatient program is structured.
Free and Low-Cost Rehabs in New Mexico
Women who are pregnant and dealing with substance use, but who are not eligible for this specific recovery program, still have free and low-cost options in New Mexico.
UNM’s Milagro Program, the clinic connected to this recovery program, has provided prenatal care and medication-assisted treatment for pregnant women with substance use disorders since 1989 and accepts Medicaid.
New Mexico Medicaid also covers a range of addiction treatment and prenatal services for pregnant enrollees under the state’s Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act framework.
State officials say the small scale of this recovery program is intentional. Organizers want to test how well the model works, and what changes might be needed, before considering a broader rollout.
Ramo said the long-term goal is to show that addressing addiction and poverty together, rather than addiction alone, leads to healthier births, more stable families, and fewer children entering foster care.
Rehabs.org lists low-cost and free treatment options nationwide. Call the number listed on a program’s profile to find affordable care near you.
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