Dedicated DCFS liaison will strengthen coordination, help families navigate services, and support safer transitions from hospital to home
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Woman’s Hospital are expanding their partnership to provide more direct, coordinated support to families of substance-exposed newborns.
On August 17, Nicole Irvine moved into the role of DCFS liaison to Woman’s Hospital. A DCFS liaison on site at the hospital will give both teams a consistent point of contact and help families receive clear information during a difficult and often overwhelming time.
“Child welfare should not wait for a family to reach the point of crisis before we offer help,” said DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris. “This partnership puts that principle into practice. By working alongside Woman’s Hospital, we can connect mothers struggling with substance use to treatment and support while protecting the health and safety of their babies. It aligns with the national direction set by the Administration for Children and Families: invest earlier in families, prevent unnecessary foster care, and keep children safely with their families whenever possible.”
“As Louisiana’s largest specialty hospital solely dedicated to the care of women and infants, Woman’s understands that connecting families with the right agencies and resources they need can make all the difference,” said Woman’s Executive President and Chief Nursing Officer Cheri Johnson. “We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with DCFS, which will help us identify needs earlier, reduce barriers, and provide more coordinated support during some of the most challenging moments families may face.”
In 2025, DCFS conducted 1,803 investigations involving substance-exposed newborns statewide. Each family’s circumstances are different, but timely communication between healthcare and child welfare professionals can make the process clearer and help families connect with the right support.
Irvine has worked primarily in Child Protective Services and spent the past two years in a supervisory role. She also has experience in foster care. Irvine earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Nicholls State University. Irvine will be on site at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge from 7:00am to 3:30pm Monday through Friday.
The liaison role is part of DCFS’s broader effort to build practical partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations that support DCFS’s mission to protect children, empower families and strengthen communities. DCFS and Woman’s Hospital will use what they learn from the collaboration to strengthen communication and improve support for newborns and their families across Louisiana.
About the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services works to protect children, empower families, and strengthen communities so every child grows up safe, stable, and strong. By connecting children and families with the support they need, DCFS helps create opportunities for long-term success across Louisiana. Learn more at dcfs.la.gov.
About Woman’s Hospital
Woman’s is a specialty hospital for women and infants located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Since opening in 1968, it has welcomed more than 400,000 babies, making it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the largest in Louisiana. Additionally, Woman’s operates a level III-S neonatal intensive care unit; this designation allows them to care for infants who are extremely premature, are critically ill or require surgical intervention. The hospital is also recognized for its expertise in mammography as well as breast and gynecologic cancer care. As a private, nonprofit organization, all funds are reinvested into the hospital to continue Woman’s mission to improve the health of women and infants through the latest technology, a highly qualified staff and critical community programs and services. Learn more at www.womans.org.
