![\"Tennessee](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Tennessee-Department-of-Health.jpg\" "\\"Tennessee")
Cookeville, TN<\/strong> – The Tennessee Department of Health and Putnam County Health Department are optimistic the incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS, may finally be stabilizing, potentially heralding a future decrease in this epidemic that has plagued the state in recent years.<\/p>\nNAS occurs when a baby exposed to certain drugs, primarily narcotics, through the umbilical cord is cut off from that supply at birth and experiences withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n
TDH made NAS a reportable condition in 2013 and provides weekly surveillance reports on the incidence and causes of NAS. At the end of 2014, the number of NAS cases reported in Tennessee was higher than in 2013. However, with nearly three-quarters of this year complete, the count in 2015 has consistently been equal to the count from 2014. According to TDH surveillance data on the causes of NAS, 70.5 percent of mothers giving birth to a baby with NAS were using at least one substance prescribed to them by a healthcare provider.<\/p>\n
Numerous stakeholders across the state are working to reduce the incidence of NAS in Tennessee with a particular focus on primary prevention\u2014preventing the problem before it ever happens. For NAS, one primary prevention strategy is preventing unintended pregnancy among women of childbearing age who are using substances known to cause NAS such as prescription painkillers.<\/p>\n
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that among all women, approximately half of all pregnancies are unintended. The percentage of unintended pregnancies is far higher (86 percent) among women who are abusing opioid medications, a major contributor to NAS. Preventing unintended pregnancies is a key strategy for reducing the incidence of NAS in Tennessee.<\/p>\n
One highlight of the statewide efforts to reduce NAS has been a primary prevention initiative piloted in Sevier and Cocke counties. County health department staff members met with other local officials in 2014 including judges and jail staff members to educate them about NAS and explore how they could collaborate to reduce the problem. Working with these local partners, the group provided health education sessions to inmates in the counties\u2019 jails; these sessions included information on NAS and ways to prevent NAS.<\/p>\n
Inmates who chose to participate in the NAS reduction project were transported to the local health department for family planning services, which may include voluntary, reversible, long-acting contraceptives, or VRLACS. Putnam County is launching a similar project this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working to educate people and empower them to make wise choices and take charge of their own health,\u201d said Putnam County Health Department Director Lisa Bumbalough. \u201cOur region has reported nearly 80 NAS cases so far this year, so we know this is a problem in our community. This innovative NAS reduction project is an idea that came out of local community collaborations as a way to address a serious public health issue our partners identified as a problem we want to solve in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NAS prevention education is offered to all female inmates who are about to be released from the Putnam County Jail,\u201d said Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris. \u201cIt is a voluntary program, like all of the programs offered at our jail, and those inmates who decide to participate must go through classroom instruction prior to receiving the contraception option that they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]\u201cI think this is an excellent opportunity to educate young women about the dangers of legal and illegal drug use during pregnancy and the devastating effects of NAS,\u201d said Putnam County General Sessions Judge Steve Qualls. \u201cMost of the women we deal with through the courts are good people that are making bad decisions from the cycle of drug use and addiction. I believe this education will give the participants an opportunity to make a responsible decision that may last for years and significantly reduce NAS in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Results of the pilot project are promising: Sevier County recorded a 92 percent reduction in babies born with NAS just nine months after implementing a NAS reduction effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the female population who have been jailed for drug-related causes, more than 80 percent reported using no form of birth control,\u201d said Upper Cumberland Regional Medical Director Don Grisham, MD. \u201cOur goal is to educate both these women and the community at large on behaviors that may have a negative impact on their health and the health of their babies if they get pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of September 2015, Putnam County is one of 24 Tennessee counties and one city participating in similar NAS reduction collaborations, and more counties are developing plans to implement the project in their communities. The East Regional Primary Prevention Initiative Committee has also shared an \u201cNAS Reduction Starter Kit\u201d with neighboring states including Kentucky and West Virginia as a best practice.<\/p>\n