BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Health launched Project M.O.M. (maternal overdose mortality) on Thursday, a statewide initiative aimed at saving the lives of mothers who battle substance use disorder.

Eleven hospitals around the state will be used as catalyst sites focused on improving care for pregnant and postpartum women, including Woman's Hospital and Lane Regional Medical Center.

Overdose is one of the top causes of pregnancy-related deaths in Louisiana since 2018, according to health leaders. 

Project M.O.M. will expand screening, treatment access and care coordination to reduce substance-abuse-related maternal deaths by 80 percent over the next three years.