Some Hospitals Change Response to Pregnant Patients with Substance Use Disorder

Some hospitals are changing their response to pregnant patients with substance use disorder, CNN reports.

Last week Mass General Brigham, the largest health care system in Massachusetts, announced it will no longer report suspected abuse or neglect to state welfare officials simply because a baby is born exposed to substances. Rather, a report will be triggered only if there is reasonable cause to believe the infant is “suffering or at imminent risk of suffering physical or emotional injury,” based on determination by multidisciplinary care teams.

The approach reflects a growing consensus that punitive approaches to substance use during pregnancy lead to worse outcomes for both parent and child and inflict disproportionate harm on families of color and of low socioeconomic status.

Health systems like the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center have implemented similar protocols. States like Connecticut, New Mexico, Washington and Colorado have revised laws to divert substance-exposed infants who are not under threat of abuse or neglect away from the child welfare system.