Directs the commissioner of health to establish at least 4 maternal-infant care centers in areas of need for infants suffering from drug withdrawal as a result…

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic5
• Republican1

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Gustavo Rivera says this is needed

In 2019, one in five women reported the misuse of prescription opioid pain relievers during pregnancy, which can be associated with poor health for both the mother and baby. Exposure to opioids while in utero can lead to neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), neonatal opioid with- drawal syndrome (NOWS), or other symptoms of withdrawal. All conditions are temporary and can be treated with proper support, which often involves being treated in an neonatal intensive care unit. Treatment in the intensive care unit can cost tens of thousands of dollars per infant and mother and baby are not able to stay in the same room. Maternal-in- fant care centers for these infants and their families can provide less costly and more focused care for newborns and their parents. Nationwide, it is estimated the number of pregnant individuals using opioids or medication-assisted treatment, such as methadone or buprenor- phine, has increased fivefold since 2000. This act directs the Depart- ment of Health, in consultation with the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, to establish at least four pilot maternal-infant care centers outside of hospitals where newborns and their parents can receive treatment and support services shown to reduce the length of stay compared to standard neonatal intensive care unit treatment and support family unification, which is beneficial for both infants and parents. The care provided to infants and their families in these mater- nal-infant care centers will be rooted in evidence-based practices that are both extremely effective for treating NAS and NOWS as well as cost efficient. These practices include skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and caring for the mother and baby in the same room ("rooming in"). These maternal-infant care centers are based on a national model, with the model's effectiveness being demonstrated over the past ten years. In Huntington, West Virginia, a maternal-infant recovery center called Lily's Place was created in 2012 in response to overcrowding in the newborn intensive care unit. At Lily's Place, infants born with in utero drug exposure were treated by the same doctor and team of nurses who treated drug-exposed babies in the hospital, plus a social worker and administrative staff. Parents were able to visit their newborns through- out the day and stay overnight before taking them home. The cost of caring for an infant experiencing NAS, NOWS, or symptoms of withdrawal due to in utero drug exposure in a hospital is nearly 20 times the cost of hospital care for an infant not experiencing NAS, NOWS, or other symptoms of withdrawal, whereas the cost of caring for newborns at Lily's Place is one-fifth the daily rate of a hospital intensive care unit. Lily's Place has become a model for communities in the rest of the country that are experiencing the same kind of increase in drug exposure of newborns as Huntington.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.