A major hospital network in Massachusetts has now revamped its policy regarding newborns born addicted to drugs to address the “significant racial and ethnic disparities” it says are associated with substance abuse disorders.
Tuesday, Union Brigham Mass. largest hospital group, announced It says it will no longer automatically report the birth of a drug-addicted infant because automatic reporting and other similar policies “disproportionately impact Black Americans.”
current federation law The law requires mandatory reporting of all infants with “physical dependence on addictive drugs at birth.” However, hospitals affiliated with General Brigham Mass. include Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Salem Hospital will now only do so if the infant is “suffering from, or in imminent danger of, physical or psychological injury.” Encourage children to report serious cases to Child Protective Services.
Another policy change from Commander Mass Brigham means medical professionals will only conduct toxicology tests on newborns and/or “pregnant persons” (also known as women) under two conditions: . First, hospital staff must obtain written consent to conduct the test. Second, tests are only performed if the test results will affect the medical care the mother or child receives.
These new policies are part of Brigham’s larger “anti-racist movement” to correct policies that “may unwittingly perpetuate structural racism.” be.
“Our new perinatal testing and reporting policy will address long-standing inequities in the treatment of substance use disorders and provide families with compassionate, evidence-based support, while also ensuring that drug use disorders are not treated. “This is the latest step in our commitment to treating it as a possible health condition.” Dr. Sarah Wakeman., Senior Medical Director for Substance Use Disorders at Brigham General, Massachusetts.
Wakeman argued that some women stop treatment for addiction after giving birth because they think they might lose custody of their child. She also argued that drug abuse alone does not mean a pregnant woman will abuse or neglect her child after giving birth.
Mass General Brigham is not the only medical group hoping to reduce the number of drug-addicted babies separated from drug-addicted mothers. This follows in the footsteps of Boston Medical Center, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, which have taken a similar approach to drug-addicted infants.
“This policy reflects an emerging consensus based on sound science, accepted by our peer institutions, and developed in collaboration with a wide range of partners,” Wakeman said. insisted.
Alison Bryant, MD, MPHMassachusetts General Brigham, Deputy Chief Health Equity Officer, said the new policy will help those in the health care industry “to sharpen their lenses to understand their own contributions to bias and inequity and work to remediate them.” He claimed that it helps people “turn inward.”
Wakeman agreed. “Eliminating racial disparities and removing barriers to treatment requires a multifaceted approach,” she said.
H/T: TikTok’s library
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