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Perinatal History

The Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs' (ADP) Office of Perinatal Substance Abuse (OPSA) was established in 1990 by Assembly Bill 3010 (Spier) to develop a coordinated state strategy to address the substance abuse treatment needs of pregnant and parenting women.

In the early 1990's OPSA released the Perinatal Substance Exposure Study which lead to the development of the Perinatal Services Network (PSN). The Perinatal Guidelines were first released in 1993 and have been revised to assure compliance with federal regulations. All Perinatal treatment programs receiving public funds must adhere to the Guidelines.

Perinatal treatment services have continued to grow and currently serve over 37,000 women and 56,000 children annually. In May 2007, Director Renée Zito announced an expansion of the previous Office of Perinatal Substance Abuse (OPSA) with the establishment of the as the Office of Women's and Perinatal Services (OWPS). Ms. Zito explaind that OWPS marks "the beginning of many enhancements to improve alcohol and other drug (AOD) services for women of all ages, their children, and their families."

Read the complete History of Perinatal Services in California (PDF).