Federal and State Policy Efforts to Address Maternal Opioid Misuse: Gaps and Challenges

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jarlenski MP ; Kozhimannil KB ; Levy R ; Saunders JB
• Description:
  Background: Opioid misuse during pregnancy is increasingly common and is associated with preterm birth and neonatal abstinence syndrome. As such, there is increased policy attention on reducing opioid misuse and increasing detection and treatment of opioid use disorder around the time of childbirth. Methods: We conducted a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify policy strategies to address opioid misuse among pregnant women; to describe current federal and state laws that impact women before pregnancy, during pregnancy, at birth, and postpartum; and to identify gaps and challenges related to these efforts. Results: We identify two gaps in current efforts: 1) limited attention to prevention of opioid misuse among reproductive-age women, and 2) lack of policies addressing opioid misuse among postpartum women. We also discuss barriers to accessing care for women who misuse opioids, including provider shortages (e.g., too few addiction medicine specialists accept pregnant women or Medicaid beneficiaries as patients), logistical barriers (e.g., lack of transportation, child care), stigma, and fear of legal consequences. Conclusions: As policymakers pursue strategies to address the opioid epidemic, the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum women and barriers to treatment should be addressed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Promotion Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Substance-Related Disorders Women
• Keywords:
  Drugs Health Care Health Communications Medical Services Policy Substance Abuse
• ISSN:
  1049-3867
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  130-136
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064247
• Citation:
  Womens Health Issues 2018 Mar-Apr; 28(2):130-136
• Contact Point Address:
  Jennifer B. Saunders, MSW, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
• Email:
  saund252@umn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Women's Health Issues
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:993d44b40afe29676bee6887d3167be53941e8a01b24de13be171d953d4d85205db2929a38972e6b456dbdc48a89fcdbffcf8009e326f7b8409b41166610596e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222746/cdc_222746_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 293.43 KB ]