According to a report by the White House, the Biden administration will use federal courts and health programs to expand the use of medication to treat substance abuse disorders in pregnant women. More than 100,000 Americans are killed by drug overdoses each year, and the plan is part of the administration's effort to fight the problem.
The Justice Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service will be responsible for improving women's access to medicines. These treatments have been controversial but are now being used as a way to reduce dependency and save lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opiate use disorder has more than doubled in the last few years. Less likely to be accepted for appointments with buprenorphine providers is the fact that pregnant women are more likely to die of a drug overdose.
Dr. Anna Lembke is the medical director of addiction medicine and was not involved in the plan
The administration's plan is vague on funding, and policy analysts worry that it doesn't go far enough to push agencies and health institutions to move faster.
Most items in the plan don't need additional funding from Congress. In fiscal year 2023, officials requested hundreds of millions of dollars more for various child welfare initiatives, including tripling mandatory funding for one program focused on families navigating substance abuse.
Andrew Kessler said that without sufficient funding from Congress, this initiative won't amount to long term change. The thick black outlines in a coloring book are similar to the administration's plan.
Understand how the drug affects you. Fentanyl is a drug that is very addictive. It is easy to overdose on a small amount. There is only a short time to save a person's life during an overdose with Fentanyl.
Don't go to unlicensed pharmacy. Fentanyl is found in many prescription drugs sold online or by unlicensed dealers. Only pills that were prescribed by your doctor are allowed to be taken.
You should talk to your friends and family. Fentanyl use can be prevented by educating your loved ones about it. Fentanyl can be found in pills purchased online or from friends. The aim is to establish an ongoing dialogue in short spurts.
You can learn how to spot overdoses. When someone overdoses on Fentanyl, their skin becomes bluish. Call the emergency number if you think someone is abusing drugs. If you are concerned that a loved one could be exposed to Fentanyl, you may want to buy Narcan, a medicine that can reverse an overdose in a matter of minutes.
He said it was large and bold. It's time to color it.
When a woman with a substance abuse disorder becomes pregnant, she is among the most motivated to overcome addiction, but also the least likely to receive care.
In one study, women who pretended to be pregnant were less likely to be accepted for treatment by providers who prescribed buprenorphine. Being nonwhite and living in a rural area were associated with a lower likelihood of receiving medicine for opiate use disorder.
Imagine coming to see a doctor for a new cancer diagnosis and being told you have a 50% chance of getting treatment. Some studies suggest we do a good job with pregnant women with opiate addiction.
In order to seek treatment, pregnant women need to reveal their disorder. In the US, infants are the fastest-growing age group in the foster care system.
American Indians and Alaska Natives have a higher overdose death rate than the general population, and they are represented in the child welfare system at three times the rate of the general population.
The report states that having a substance use disorder in pregnant women is not child abuse or neglect and that criminalizing it is harmful.
State-to-state comparisons show that pregnant women are more likely to stop using drugs in places that don't criminalize the behavior. In the midst of an overdose epidemic, many states have cracked down, jailing pregnant women without providing treatment in at least one instance.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, will train judges to incorporate the use of Opioid Replacement Drugs into sentencing for pregnant women with Substance Abuse Disorders. The goal is to increase the number of pregnant women who receive medication as part of their treatment plan.
Opioid recovery drugs like buprenorphine and methadone are not approved for use in the US due to their addictive nature. They don't produce a high at a prescribed dose, but they help satisfy cravings and reduce withdrawal symptoms as patients try to quit heroin, fentanyl and other deadly drugs. The drugs have been shown to reduce the mortality rate among people addicted to opioids by half or more.
Efforts will be made to improve access to the medication in communities with the highest rates of addiction. More than one million veterans have been diagnosed with substance abuse disorder, and health care providers who treat them will be trained to integrate medication into their care models.
The Indian Health Service, which serves American Indians and Alaska Natives, will train employees to screen women who are pregnant or have young children for opiate use disorders. The move makes it part of the fabric of how we treat this condition.
SAMHSA will develop national standards for peer recovery support specialists, track the number of doctors who are approved to prescribe buprenorphine, and hire an associate administrator for women's services. The plan includes tens of millions of dollars in grants.
Health systems won't move fast enough to boost their addiction care capacity because the report emphasizes education for medical providers and court employees, without long-term financial incentives or consequences for institutions.
Mr. Kessler suggested that the Biden administration should have tied federal funding to hospitals' ability to offer addiction treatment to pregnant women and patients with respiratory infections.
Dr. Kertesz said, "If all health care institutions were ready to offer care, then it would be a lot simpler to make that care happen." He said that most obstetricians and addiction specialists have never been in the same room, and that families enter into a chaotic, disorganized bureaucracy.
The plan would have limited impact without higher appropriations from Congress. Without comprehensive addiction care, stopgap efforts will only last through a grant cycle.
Most of us on the front lines are going to be frustrated by this plan.
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