Martha’s Place, Children’s Assessment Center

As a result of the emerging information and the documented numbers of children being born exposed to alcohol and illicit drugs during the prenatal period, a Model of Care was developed based on the successful work of Dr. Ira Chasnoff and the Child Study Center in Chicago, Ill. Since 1990, the Child Study Center has been providing quality evaluation, treatment planning, and therapeutic services for children and adolescents and their families. Their primary focus is to improve the quality of life for all children with special needs or children at risk for developmental, behavioral, psychological, or educational problems.

Children’s Research Triangle has been in the forefront of many issues related to maternal substance abuse in pregnancy, the outcomes of children prenatally exposed to drugs, and the child welfare implications of substance abuse in families. Through closely working with Dr. Chasnoff, the team is modeling San Luis Obispo’s Children’s Assessment Center after that of the center in Chicago. Our Model of Care integrates systems of health and behavioral health to ensure access to appropriate early intervention services for children from birth through five years of age in San Luis Obispo County.