Get Connected

Welcome to IMPACT WV's Get Connected Page! A place where Families can get connected to service providers and other support systems and a place where service providers can get connected to other professionals to discuss Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Where to start?
A note from our nurse, Amy to Families

a cartoon graphic of a nurse

Raising a family is not an easy feat, but there are so many resources available that can help ease some of your stress. Who knows your family better than you? No one. You are your family’s best advocate. Don’t be afraid to speak up. You have a right to be an informed participant in your family’s healthcare. You are captain of the team, but it’s important to find other key players to help you reach your family’s health and wellness goals.

The first step is finding a primary care physician who you can count on to help you manage your family’s health. They provide preventive care, like wellness checks, screenings and immunizations, and can also diagnose and manage common chronic conditions. They are the gatekeepers of your family’s health information and can guide you in the right direction if specialty care is needed.

Read Nurse Amy's Full Letter to Families

Finding Quality Treatment for Substance Use Disorder with three steps to access care and five signs of quality treatment from SAMHSA (PDF).

  • Use provided outline/binder from service provider or IMPACT Child Health Organizer to track and share information
  • Ask your IMPACT Patient Navigator or Home Visitor for assistance to print and share assessment with service providers during next appointment
  • Attach an image of the assessment to a new email message in online medical portal i.e. MyWVUChart and send to service provider
  • Use the Milestone Check App
    • Get the summary results to share or email to service providers
    • Keep track of your child’s doctors’ appointments and get reminders about recommended developmental screenings

Where to start?
A note from our nurse, Amy to Providers

As health care providers, aside from evaluating, treating and providing compassionate care to each and every one of our patients each day, we have the additional job of being detectives…medical history detectives! Our patients often are seen and treated by more than one provider and it becomes our job to track down and piece together the most comprehensive picture of their health stories.

Behavioral health treatment, in particular, has a history of carrying a stigma that may discourage a patient from readily disclosing to their primary care provider. Providing patients with the appropriate forms in order to obtain records from each of their providers is an important part of a visit. We all know that the primary care physician is the “gatekeeper” to a patient’s entire medical picture, and it would be great if we could work together in order to make it a little easier to obtain that complete picture for the provider.

Read Nurse Amy's Full Letter to Providers

  • Ask IMPACT Patient Navigator or Home Visitor to coordinate with patient to print and share assessments. Assessments can be requested as an individual form or a report of all forms.
  • Assessment report printed and given to the mother/caregiver to take to an upcoming well-check to hand to the medical provider
  • Connect with your patient’s Behavioral Health and MAT programming providers
  • Obtain patient’s permission to share information
  • Educate the patient to advocate for themselves