The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic, and now in Indiana it’s becoming more clear that the problem is affecting people of all ages — even newborns.
Since last year, the Indiana Department of Health has been working with hospitals to collect data on neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, a withdrawal syndrome in newborns that happens when the transfer of harmful substances from mother to baby abruptly stops at the time of birth.
Although other substances can cause NAS, it is most commonly the result of opioids.
In 2014, the Indiana General Assembly charged the department of health to establish a task force to study the prevalence of NAS and the time and resources needed to combat it.
The testing began with four Indiana hospitals in 2016 and expanded to 27 hospitals in January of this year.
The only South Bend area hospital taking part is Saint Joseph Health System in Mishawaka. After numerous requests for an interview for this story, Saint Joseph Health System spokeswoman Jessica Schramski Shirley said the hospital would not comment.
As of the end of October, about 16 percent of newborns tested at all of the participating hospitals had been exposed to opioids while in the womb, according to the department of health. That places Indiana above the national average, which is about 10 percent, said Martha Allen, director of the Maternal and Child Health Division of the department of health.
But Allen suspects the problem is much worse. Because not every baby at participating hospitals is tested and not every hospital in the state is collecting data, it’s likely the number of babies exposed to opioids while in the womb is much higher, she said.