Michigan Supreme Court Justice Larsen commends Alpena community for partnership to address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
“Stories Not Secrets” video to help educate community about the risks of opioid dependency during pregnancy
LANSING, MI – Justice Loan L. Larsen, the Court’s liaison to problem-solving courts, has commended the greater Alpena and northern Michigan communities for their collaborative effort to find solutions to the growing issue of babies born to mothers with drug addictions.
Justice Larsen offered comments April 25, as Alpena Judge Thomas LaCross, Cheboygan Judge Robert Butts, Alpena and Montmorency DHHS Director John Keller, the Exchange Club of Alpena, and other community leaders announced the release of the video titled “Stories Not Secrets” about Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).
NAS occurs in newborns exposed to addictive opiate drugs before birth. Symptoms include excessive crying, seizures, poor feeding, sleep struggles, diarrhea, trembling, and other health problems.
“Finding solutions to problems isn’t easy, but when community groups share their time, expertise, and compassion, positive change can happen. Finding solutions to substance abuse is especially difficult, but their message shows that the help of a caring community can make all the difference,” said Larsen. “Across our state, the dedication of everyone involved in drug, sobriety, mental health, veterans, and other treatment courts is solving problems, saving lives, and transforming our communities,” Larsen added.
The video will be available to courts, schools, human services, treatment centers and community organizations.
The very moving, 26 and a half minutes video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8E8i-xe1jE&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=28875289. It references some troubling statistics: in 2004, nationally, seven infants in 1000 exhibited NAS, but by 2014 that number had risen to 27 in 1000. In Michigan, there were 404 NAS?babies but just four years later, in 2014, the number had more than doubled to 815.
The video, which stresses the importance of coordinated systems, also mentions that Kalamazoo is addressing coordinated care for NAS babies and their mothers, The Kalamazoo NAS Prevention and Treatment Program, coordinated by the Kalamazoo County Mental Health and Substance Abuse services, brought in addicted mothers to help in planning effective care.
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