Pubdate: Wed, 12 Aug 2015
Source: Observer, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015, Sarnia Observer
Contact: http://www.theobserver.ca/letters
Website: http://www.theobserver.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1676
Author: Tyler Kula
Page: A1

MORE DRUG-DEPENDENT BABIES BORN LOCALLY

Bluewater Health Supportive of Moms With Drug Dependencies

The rate of babies born in Sarnia-Lambton with a drug dependency 
inherited from their moms is much higher than the provincial average, 
a recent public health report says.

The hospitalization rate for infants affected by inherited drug 
addiction in 2013 was almost 43 per 1,000 births, according to the 
Opioid Misuse report.

The Ontario average is one-sixth of that, at just over seven.

"We were hearing stories from (Bluewater Health) about the rise in 
babies admitted for neonatal abstinence syndrome," said Dr. Sudit 
Ranade, Lambton County's medical officer of health.

"This is nice data to back up (what) the people from the hospital are 
telling us, that they think this is happening."

What the numbers don't say is how many of those babies, potentially 
weened off their inherited addictions using morphine, were born to 
moms fighting their own drug dependencies by using methadone, Ranade said.

Methadone is an opioid replacement drug designed to help people 
addicted to substances such as heroin and fentanyl to curb their drug use.

It fills the void created by harmful drugs, helping users beat back 
painful withdrawal symptoms, Dr. Del Donald, with the Bluewater 
Methadone Clinic, has said, noting its proper use doesn't get people high.

The relatively large number of drug-dependent babies born at 
Bluewater Health in Sarnia-Lambton is actually a good thing if it 
means moms are seeking help via methadone - and other opioid 
substitution drugs like it - instead of more harmful drugs, he said.

"It is recommended that all illicit users switch to treatment opiates 
once they become pregnant as the outcome for babies are better," 
Donald wrote in an email.

The total number of moms who had babies with drug and substance 
exposure from April 2014 to March 2015 at Bluewater Health was 48, 
said Cathy McFarland, director of mental health and addiction services.

Of those, a little under half were affected by opioids, including 
methadone, she said.

It's unclear why the number is higher in Sarnia-Lambton than 
elsewhere, she said. Moms who need it are given supports at Bluewater 
Health, via a policy adopted years ago, after a task force, with 
patient input, helped drive a culture change in how hospital staff 
approach pregnant patients with substance dependencies.

"We want to create environments where moms facing substance use, or 
even replacement therapy - with methadone for instance - have a place 
to deliver their babies that's supportive of their current treatment 
or of their current substance use problem," McFarland said.

She noted that not all neonatal abstinence syndrome births at 
Bluewater Health are via pregnant women who live in Sarnia-Lambton. 
Some travel from outside the region.
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