Vital funding enables To the Moon and Back, Inc. to hire staff, expand support of children born with prenatal opioid exposure
McGRATHPR.com – To the Moon and Back, Inc. (TTMAB), the Plymouth-based advocacy nonprofit supporting children born with in utero substance exposure and their families, has been awarded a $958,440 grant from The Massachusetts Community Health & Healthy Aging Funds (the Funds), subsidizing its initiative to “Develop Best Practices in Care for Children Born with Prenatal Opioid Exposure (POE).”
“This is a pivotal moment is a major milestone in our growth. The grant will help us fund the salary to hire our first fulltime clinical staff member,” shares the nonprofit’s founder Theresa Harmon, RN, LICSW, PMHNP-C. “The professional selected for this role will provide care coordination, improving outcomes for children with prenatal opioid exposure. That support system is integral to ensuring the success of our mission.” Harmon is a clinical social worker and nurse supporting diverse child welfare, early intervention, and school social work settings. Her efforts launched the organization’s humble beginnings, including a simple support group at the Plymouth Recovery Center, later growing into a registered nonprofit. Today, TTMAB produces diverse services fulfilling the vital needs of families on behalf of their children.
Opioid crisis challenges are currently positioned as a top priority to the public, municipalities, and the social services sector. At the center of that spotlight, TTMAB has received amplified attention, most recently honored at the Plymouth Addiction Response and Improvement Strategies Effort’s (ARISE) Grantees Honors Ceremony – where it was awarded $50K in funding, also to grow its support and service of those affected by the opioid crisis.
The Funds is an initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), created as part of a landmark revision of the Determination of Need (DoN) regulations by DPH in 2017. Health Resources in Action (HRiA) acts as its fiscal agent. The Funds are committed to disrupting and removing barriers to health – structural and institutional racism, poverty, and deep power imbalances – through community-centered policy, systems, and environmental change to ensure the highest quality of life possible in the Commonwealth.
To the Moon and Back’s grant proposal outlined the importance of invigorating its effort to continue best practices in care for infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). “There are no standards that serve as the continuum to these children as they grow towards adulthood. We’d like to champion the development of this standard of care,” shares Harmon. “One of the many vital facets is to better serve growing children, who are a major risk for decreased cognitive, language, and motor skills scores when compared with their peers.” Research supporting this finding has been expanded in recent years, most notably when Harmon partnered with the Child Trends’ industry expert scientists, lending further evidence to the long-term consequences of in utero substance exposure.
Founded in 2017, To the Moon and Back, Inc. originated with the mission to provide for the unmet needs of children born with NAS in Plymouth. The organization is currently all volunteer, and entirely funded through fundraising and grant allocations, providing all services at no cost to families, spanning babies through children and teens up to age 18. Its advocacy and support programs transcend race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. TTMAB helps families navigate broad substance exposure impacts, including long term developmental, educational, physical, and behavioral health consequences in children.
Today, TTMAB seeks to forge one voice as advocates for children and supports the healthcare industry by producing its annual “Beyond NAS Conference” exploring vital topics of legislative impact, cortical visual impairment, wellness and recovery, children with NAS and Medicaid, intergenerational trauma in children and families, physiological regulation, art as therapy, holistic treatment for trauma, and the role of comfort dogs in the community.
For more information about the initiatives and mission of To the Moon and Back, Inc., or to donate, visit tothemoonandback.org, or follow To The Moon and Back on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @tothemoonma.
About To the Moon and Back, Inc.
Founded in 2017, advocacy nonprofit To the Moon and Back, Inc. (TTMAB), is dedicated to supporting children born with in utero substance exposure and their families, founded by Theresa Harmon, RN, LICSW. As a certified 501(c)3, TTMAB has served as the leader in providing support, education, and advocacy for the youngest victims of the opioid epidemic, and those who care for them. The organization’s mission is committed to forging one voice as advocates for children.
TTMAB provides an Educational Advocacy Program and support groups (for foster and adoptive parents, relative and non-relative caregivers) of children born with substance exposure or Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), serving as a welcoming resource for caregivers to connect with their peers. Expert speakers educate caregivers and inform communities on the latest in research and best practices. Education programs provide expert speakers and training to industry health providers and social services to guide effective care.
Nurture A Superhero care packages provide carefully cultivated newborn take home kits for children with NAS, provided at discharge from hospitals across the state including Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey, and UMass Medical Center.
To the Moon and Back, Inc. provides advocacy and recommendations to local and state leaders on the unmet needs and gaps in services for children born with exposure and their caregivers. The organization is committed to supporting legislative progress, aspiring to ensure that children born substance-exposed have every tool needed to thrive. The nonprofit also champions research, resource, and educational publications, including “The Caregiver’s Guide to NAS & Beyond;” produces an annual Beyond NAS Conference, and funds a Children’s Grant, supporting uncovered family expenses related to in utero substance exposure.
For more information, or to donate, visit tothemoonandback.org, or follow To the Moon and Back on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @tothemoonma.
Photo, top left: (L to R) Mike Jackman, District Director for Congressman Bill Keating, Vinny DeMacedo, Senior Advisor of External Relations at Bridgewater State University, former member of MA Senate (Plymouth/Barnstable) and House of Representatives (1st Plymouth), and ARISE Proposal Review Committee member, Theresa Harmon, Founder of To The Moon and Back, Inc., MA State Rep. Mathew Muratore (R-Plymouth), at Plymouth ARISE’s Honors Ceremony at the Mayflower Society House, image by Michelle McGrath PR
Photo, top right: To the Moon and Back, Inc. founder Theresa Harmon, RN, LICSW, PMHNP-C, courtesy image
