Hospitals No Longer Required to Report Drug Exposed Infants

KENT, Wash. – A nurse tiptoes to one of the cribs and places a stethoscope against a tiny bundle of white blankets. The baby stirs, but doesn’t open her eyes, then falls back into a peaceful sleep. She is one of four drug-exposed infants being cared for at the Pediatric Interim Care Center, located about 20 miles south of Seattle.

“The babies generally have anywhere from two to five drugs in their system, if not more,” explained Barbara Drennen, who founded PICC in 1990. Since then, her staff have provided withdrawal care and a safe haven for more than 3,300 babies sent by the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Now, Drennen worries a new state policy that no longer requires hospitals to report all substance-exposed newborns to Child Protective Services will endanger infants like those she cares for. But the state says its goal is keeping children safe and avoiding breaking up families unnecessarily.

Washington’s Department of Health (DOH) announced the new policy in June. Hospitals have until Jan. 1, 2025 to comply. (Excerpt from Fox News.)