The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a new resource today for home visiting programs working with families impacted by opioid epidemic. HRSA’s Home Visiting Program: Supporting Families Impacted by Opioid Use and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome provides detailed information about the opioid epidemic, opioid use disorder (OUD), and NAS. It includes relevant research; offers strategies for MIECHV awardees and their state partners in early childhood, public health, and substance misuse and mental health treatment; and highlights promising efforts underway in several states.
Florida has experienced a 10-fold increase in NAS rates from 2002-2012. It is estimated that one NAS infant is born every 25 minutes. These trends have implications not only the care of these infants, but also for the burden and costs for both families and the health care system. Approximately 80% of hospital charges for NAS are covered by state Medicaid programs.
The FL MIECHV funded Parents as Teachers program in Pinellas County focuses on substance-involved families and collaborates closely with Operation PAR, a local treatment program.
The state Home Visiting Advisory Council will receive an update on new federal Child Abuse Prevention & Treatment Act (CAPTA) requirements for plans of safe care, and the role of home visiting in providing follow-up support to families with babies experiencing NAS. The Council includes representatives from the state’s major home visiting programs, as well as state agencies working in public health, child protection and early learning. The meeting will take place November 2 in Tallahassee.