Gov. Paul LePage used his radio address last week to discuss an important issue: the rising number of Maine babies being born dependent on drugs.
LePage said the number of drug-dependent babies born in Maine this year is expected to climb to more than 800. That would be the largest number recorded in the state and about five times what it was nearly 10 years ago, according to a report on the issue by the Associated Press.
LePage pointed out that this is a major cause for concern, and the state needs to do more to address this problem.
“This is an issue we ought to all be concerned about and be willing to work together on to find solutions,” LePage said in his weekly radio address. “It is my hope we can reverse this troubling trend because our children’s future depends on it.”
Some of the reasons for the increase include higher numbers of women addicted to opiates, and the state’s high addiction rate.
Dr. Mark Publicker, of the Mercy Hospital Recovery Center in Westbrook, said he treats significantly more women for opiate addiction than men, in an interview with the Associated Press. He said the issue is not just a problem, but an “epidemic.” He said the rise in babies being born with drug addictions to opiates like heroin and prescription medications is due to the corresponding rise in women who are opiate-addicted.
Since the state began collecting the data on babies born affected by drugs, the number has steadily increased, according to LePage. In the first year, 2005, more than 160 Maine newborns were affected by drugs, according to the health department. About 770 babies born in Maine so far this year have been dependent on drugs.
The concerns of these numbers increasing relate to the health of newborns, the cost to care for these babies and the longer-term affects of the drugs.
Another issue raised by Publicker is the two-year cap on methadone and buprenorphine treatment for Medicaid patients. Methadone and buprenorphine are used to treat opiate addiction, and they can be given to pregnant women to help them cope with their addiction during pregnancy. While the drugs can cause babies to experience withdrawal after they are born, they help prevent pregnant women from going through withdrawal, which can cause pre-term labor and further negatively impact the baby’s health, according to Publicker.
Now, Medicaid patients must get prior approval for an extension for addiction treatment with methadone, and some doctors say limiting access to treatment can cause addicts to relapse. In the case of a pregnant woman, that could be even more harmful to her child.
LePage said he is working with the health department on the issue, and we hope he will heed the advice of medical professionals in how to combat the problem. Access to health care for low-income Mainers has not been a priority for LePage, but if he wants to see the numbers of children born dependent on drugs decline in this state, he will need to put the money where his mouth is.
It will also be important to educate women about the effects drugs can have on babies, and also the effects that quitting drugs, alcohol or smoking can have on a fetus once a woman learns she is pregnant. Having access to a medical professional who can help a woman implement the best action plan will lead to fewer complications ”“ and hopefully fewer infants born with drug dependencies.
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