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1 in 100 Babies in Virginia Suffer from Opioid Withdrawal

Last year, for every 100 babies born in Virginia, one was already suffering withdrawal from drug use. And while that statistic is alarming, health care providers are trying to see it as an opportunity -- to reach patients who need the most help.

 

Most people who drink or smoke or use drugs stop when they become pregnant. After giving birth, about 80-percent will start again. But Mishka Terplan, an OBGYN and addiction specialist at VCU, hones in on that other 20-percent.  

“And I think ‘Wow that’s really incredible,’" you’ve got a 20-percent abstinence rate and the only intervention is pregnancy,” Terplan said. “That speaks to the powerful motivation of that state.”

So when an addicted pregnant woman walks through his door, Terplan tries to see it as an opportunity. He supports that natural motivation with medical treatment for addiction, counseling, and prenatal care.

But that recipe of services isn’t something all doctors in Virginia know to give, says Donald Dudley, who’s in charge of maternal-fetal medicine at UVA.

“The doctors don’t know what to do if a patient says ‘Yes I need help.’ Because they may not know where resources are in their community,” Dudley say. “Or they may not have resources in their community. So they do the easy thing and they don’t ask.”

Dudley, Terplan and others will now be part of a new group of experts creating a standard of care in Virginia for addicted pregnant women. Called the ‘Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative to Improve Birth Health’, the group has been tasked with responding to the opioid crisis’ impact on babies.

The state recently put aside $200,000 to support their efforts. They hope to roll out education programs for doctors and nurses within a year.

 

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association

 

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