Free NAS Caregiver Resources
- Jun 13, 2022
- 2 min read
Welcome to Beyond Exposure OT! My name is Hannah, and I am currently in the final phase of my doctoral program in occupational therapy at Huntington University. When planning what I wanted to complete my capstone project, I was drawn to return to my home state of West Virginia (WV). In WV, the opioid crisis has been rising for the past 10 to 15 years. Due to the rise in the opioid crisis, WV has seen a drastic increase in the number of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). According to data from the HCUP National Inpatient Sample, from 2010 to 2017, West Virginia had 53.5 cases of NAS per 1000 births, the highest rate in the country, with the national average being 7.3 per 1000 births.
What is NAS?
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a treatable condition that newborns may experience due to prenatal exposure to certain substances, most often opioids (CDC, 2021). As of 2017, approximately one baby is diagnosed with NAS every 19 minutes in the United States (NCSACW, 2021).
Free Resources
As part of my capstone project, I wanted to create free resources for caregivers of infants and toddlers with NAS. To best determine the need, I surveyed local caregivers of infants and toddlers with NAS in WV. Parents, caregivers, daycare workers, early intervention providers, etc., feel free to use these resources for yourself or your families. Please use the contact form on the website if you have any questions.
References
Center for Disease Control (2021, March 10). Key Findings: Public Health Reporting of NAS Offers Opportunities for Treatment and Prevention. CDC.
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. (2020, June 30)Cost-to-Charge Ratio Files. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/state/costtocharge.jsp
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (n.d.). Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. NCSACW.
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