A round of grant funds recently announced by Gov. Tom Wolf will fund a new county program to help pregnant women in recovery from substance abuse.

Katie Doerr, director of programs at the Center for Community Resources, said the program will connect pregnant women who are struggling with addiction with prenatal and up to 18 months of postpartum care.

The $296,000 in grant funds come from $12 million in funding to be administered by the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

The funds are from federal grants for service and support for those in recovery from substance abuse disorder, according to a news release from Wolf's office.

Doerr said because only a few women in Butler might access the services, Washington, Mercer and Beaver counties are included in the program, which is new in the area.

Two CCR staff members will handle the program for all four counties.

She said CCR will send information to local obstetricians, addiction services such as suboxone and methadone clinics and other pertinent organizations, so it can be shared with pregnant women who may benefit from services.

“We are very excited,” Doerr said. “Pregnancy will be a new area for us.”

She said women interested in the program can call 1-800-292-3866.

Women can be connected to other services while CCR hires staff and gets the program ready.

“Things can be hard for new moms, especially those who are newly in recovery,” Doerr said. “We want them to live a healthy life with their babies.”

Allegheny Health Network also received a grant for $583,000 to expand its Perinatal Hope Program to Cranberry Township and Erie as well as to expand the program's pregnancy support services.

The grant will go toward additional staffing to support these new AHN locations as well as increased staff that would help to support pregnancy programs in all locations.