The Number Of Opioid-Addicted New Moms In Arizona Has Quadrupled

PHOENIX, AZ — The number of pregnant women using opioids such as heroin and fentanyl skyrocketed nationwide after 1999 and federal health officials say it now poses a “significant public health concern.” The national prevalence of opioid use disorder among new moms more than quadrupled from 1.5 cases per 1,000 deliveries all the way to 6.5 in 2014, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this month.

In Arizona, that rate was 5.2 in 2014, the latest year that data was available. That’s up from what it was in 1999, when the rate was 1.1 cases per 1,000 deliveries. Arizona saw an average yearly rate increase of .28, according to the CDC.

Vermont ranked by far the worst in the country in 2014, with a rate of 48.6 cases of opioid-dependent mother’s per 1,000 deliveries. And that number was actually down some from 2013, when it peaked at more than 51. Washington, D.C., and Nebraska saw the lowest rates in the country in 2014 at .7 and 1.2, respectively.

"These findings illustrate the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on families across the US, including on the very youngest," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a release.

Unfortunately, the CDC report does not tell the whole story. Just 30 states and the District of Columbia had sufficient publicly available data to be included in the report. Out of those, just 25 states and the District of Columbia had such data for 2014.

“Increasing trends over time were observed in all 28 states with available data,” the report found.

Here are the 10 states with the worst rates for opioid use by pregnant women in 2014:

1. Vermont (48.6)
2. West Virginia (32.1)
3. Kentucky (19.3)
4. New Mexico (14.8)
5. Maryland (11.7)
6. Washington (10.8)
7. Rhode Island (10.2)
8. Oregon (8.4)
9. North Carolina (7.8)
10. Michigan (7.7)

The average annual rate increase was lowest in California, while the highest increases were seen in Maine, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia, ranging from 2.5 to 5.4 opioid use disorder diagnoses per 1,000 delivery hospitalizations per year.

The CDC noted that pregnant women abusing opioids is problematic due to the link between drug use and the adverse effects on both new mothers and newborns. This includes preterm labor, stillbirth, neonatal abstinence syndrome — referring to when newborns are withdrawing from drugs — and maternal death.

"Untreated opioid use disorder during pregnancy can lead to heartbreaking results," Redfield said. "Each case represents a mother, a child, and a family in need of continued treatment and support."

The CDC stressed that state action is “critical” to curbing the opioid epidemic, and recommended they focus on programs and policies to reduce illegal — and prescription — opioid use, “both of which contribute to the epidemic.”

“Continued national, state, and provider efforts to prevent, monitor, and treat opioid use disorder among reproductive-aged and pregnant women are needed,” the authors wrote. “Efforts might include improved access to data in Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, increased substance abuse screening, use of medication-assisted therapy, and substance abuse treatment referrals.”

The CDC report used hospital discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.

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