WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve treatment programs for pregnant women and mothers who have a substance use disorder. The Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act would reauthorize residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women supported by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The bill would also authorize a pilot program for state substance abuse agencies that allows funds to be used for family-based services for pregnant and postpartum women in non-residential settings. Similar legislation was recently introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.).
“An alarming number of babies are being born addicted to drugs in West Virginia. Just this year there have been at least 79 confirmed cases in our state. New mothers suffering from drug addiction and women at risk of giving birth to drug-addicted babies need access to treatment that will help them create a better life for their children,” said Senator Capito. “This bipartisan legislation will play a critical role in preventing cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome and stemming West Virginia’s drug epidemic.”
Senators Capito, Ayotte and Whitehouse are also cosponsoring the Protecting Our Infants Act, which would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a strategy to address the alarming number of infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome after being exposed to opioids while in the womb. The bill passed the Senate last month.
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