2016 Webinar 1: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: State and Federal Policy DVD

Over the last several decades, the incidence of NAS has varied, usually associated with the waxing and waning of heroin use in the general population.  However, the current rise in the numbers of infants with NAS represents a wide spectrum of pregnant women’s use of opiates. These uses include heroin addiction, polydrug use, sanctioned and non-sanctioned prescription opioid use, and medication (methadone or buprenorphine) assisted treatment (MAT).  From the most recent data sets, it can be surmised that a significant number of cases of NAS are occurring in infants whose mothers have been prescribed opiates during the pregnancy.  In order to address the prevention of and intervention for NAS, states are in a position to develop broad systems perspectives that stretch from the preconceptional period through childhood and that address clinical and systems issues across multiple domains.