December 2, 2015
A new law signed by President Obama on November 25 aims to identify evidence-based approaches to care for babies affected by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome due to drug withdrawal after birth, and their mothers. The White House announcement noting the occasion cited two studies by IHPI deputy director Matt Davis, M.D., MAPP, and former U-M health services research fellow Stephen Patrick, M.D., MPH, M.S., an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at U-M.
The law requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study and develop recommendations for preventing and treating prenatal opioid use disorders and NAS. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue to assist states in improving the availability and quality of data collection related to NAS, and encourage public health measures aimed at decreasing its prevalence.
Says Davis, "The Act is a rare demonstration of bipartisan cooperation on a topic of rapidly growing importance for children’s health in the context of the national epidemic of opiate overuse, misuse and abuse. This is an exciting and gratifying example of impact-through-policy research, where the CHEAR Unit, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the Clinical Scholars Program and IHPI have played a central role."