Port St. Lucie, FL, November 1, 2022 — McapMediaWire — In an effort to improve outcomes and better support mothers struggling with addiction, a capital campaign for Forgotten Moms is launching today in Florida.
According to data collected by the National Institute of Health (NIH), 22M Americans struggle with addiction, 23M are in addiction recovery, and 45M are directly impacted by addiction. Of those checking into treatment centers, 32% are mothers. Additionally, these women need inpatient and outpatient treatment, as well as housing to keep families together and mothers supported. Historically, many women are pushed through the court system on drug charges, where they may end up in jail, separated from their children, with many children going into foster care. Dr. Anita Cocoves, from the Critical Incident Stress Management Team of the Treasure Coast in Florida says, “As we continue to see issues with the opioid epidemic and treatment, women continue to be homeless, without care, and emotionally hopeless. They desperately need treatment, education, and longer-term support to stay healthy.”
Farid Dallal, Advisor to NueroPsychiatric Addiction Treatment of Port St. Lucie, Florida, has been underwriting treatment for the last five years with his own money and has spent close to $200,000 providing scholarships for treatment service and access to over 500 people. In 2016, he created the charity, non-profit Forgotten Mom, and is now raising funds to build out a new treatment and housing facility, along with longer-term resource and education supports.
Dallal says, “In the past two years, we have lost three non-profits in the South Florida area who have served these women. There is nothing for them. They need a place that is safe, trustworthy, and somewhere to keep their families together. We will be providing longer term educational support as well, to prevent relapse.”
The Forgotten Mom Capital Campaign seeks to raise $2.68M and will run through 2023 with a fundraiser and documentary film in development now. They continue to build awareness and services regionally, nationally, and internationally for this necessary treatment.
Adriana Cottet, lead coordinator of the capital campaign, adds, “We invite everyone to donate to this critically underserved population. Our goal is to expand our services through this capital campaign and continue to serve more women and their families.”
For more information, see www.forgottenmoms.org or info@forgottenmoms.org
About Forgotten Mom: Forgotten Mom Inc. (FMI), is a registered (501(c)(3), non-profit initiative established in 2016 to address, support, and find help for the dramatically underserved population of mothers struggling with the disease of addiction. www.forgottenmoms.org
