CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) says West Virginia leads the nation for the number of newborn infants exposed to drugs during pregnancy.
“We don’t just have one or two babies. We have literally dozens of babies that are currently being cared for just in West Virginia,” Jenkins said. “It’s a tragedy to have to start like like that.”
Jenkins met with nurses and doctors at CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital in Charleston Friday to discuss neonatal abstinence syndrome during a round table discussion.
NAS affects newborns who’ve been exposed to opiate drugs while in the womb.
Also, Jenkins discussed his bill signed by President Barack Obama this year called the NAS Healthy Babies Act. The bill will help improve care for babies born drug exposed.
“We know West Virginia has one of the toughest drug issues and problems then any place in the country and this legislation actually will direct the federal government to identify the best models of care for these newborn infants,” he explained.
Jenkins has been a supporter of Lily’s Place, a facility in Huntington, that provides short-term medical care to infants suffering from NAS and withdrawal from drug exposure. He said since Lily’s Place opened in 2014, more than 150 babies have been admitted and treated.
“It’s just an example of a good quality model of care for these babies,” he said.
The cost of care for each baby could be up to $50,000 after they’re born, according to a doctor with CAMC Women’s and Children’s Hospital.