Polson doctor honored for helping families struggling with substance abuse

Dr. Jamie Straub of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson was recently awarded the 2021 Mignon Waterman Award for notable contributions to Montana’s behavioral health system. For showing “innovation, leadership, partnership development and progress toward improving behavioral health in Montana,” Dr. Straub will receive a $10,000 award to benefit Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.

Dr. Straub began working for St. Joseph in 2010 as a board-certified OB/GYN staff physician. She provides a full spectrum of women’s health care and works with families to deliver nearly 200 babies each year.

In 2015, she was a founding member of the executive committee that established the Wrapped in Hope project. At a time when pregnant and postpartum women in Montana had few options for substance use disorder treatment, Wrapped in Hope created an innovative model that provides prompt, supportive behavioral health services integrated into prenatal and postpartum care. Dr. Straub served as one of three physician leads for the project and facilitated public and provider education within the St. Joseph service area.

Lessons from Wrapped in Hope informed the Montana Healthcare Foundation’s creation of The Meadowlark Initiative which has brought the innovative core elements from Wrapped in Hope to the entire state. This includes offering routine screening and treatment for substance use disorders as part of prenatal and postpartum care. This new standard of pregnancy care is now active in 15 clinical sites with new practices joining each year.

Dr. Straub also serves as the hospital’s quality director, overseeing medical surgical quality improvement, and is a SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner) provider, helping implement a Sexual Assault Task Force for the hospital and training nurses to work alongside her.