Ohio seeks to curb infant mortality rate

In the wake of Ohio’s opiate epidemic, it is easy to forget that there are some individuals who endure the effects of this addiction who never even chose to do the substance: infants born to drug-addicted mothers.

State Republican Rep. Lynn Wachtmann is determined to change the life course for drug-addicted babies and curb the infant mortality rate while he’s in office.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome is a group of problems that occur in a newborn who was exposed to addictive illegal or prescription drugs while in the womb. Babies with mothers who drank during pregnancy may exhibit similar symptoms.

Wachtmann introduced a bill to the House that requires maternal facilities to report all babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. By reporting these incidents, the hospital and government alike can be sure that the right steps are taken for an infant to live a healthy life.

“We believe the little bit of effort it will take on behalf of hospitals to report this far outweighs the potential good that we can do by measuring...how many of these babies we do have—how well we’re doing fighting addictions and things related to mothers, pregnant mothers and their babies,” Wachtmann said.

Getting an accurate number of babies suffering from the syndrome will give the state better insight into the severity of the problem. Collecting the data will allow lawmakers to decide their next plan of action.

With Ohio having one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation, Wachtmann’s bill may be the answer to solving the problem.

But this isn’t Wachtmann’s first bill aimed to reduce infant mortality across the state. In June, Wachtmann helped pass Senate Bill 4, which required hospitals and birthing centers to perform screenings pertaining to critical congenital heart defects in newborns.

A critical congenital heart defect screening uses physiologic tests, like pulse oximetry, to identify if a newborn has a structural heart defect. These newborns are a risk of suffering serious complications after birth that could involve surgery, and in some cases, loss of life.

“Senate Bill 4 is an important piece of legislation to help ensure infants have this vital screening conducted to assure a healthy future,” said Wachtmann.

Now it’s time to assure the same course of action and create legislation that advocates a voice for those who do not have a voice yet.

“Infant mortality is one of the most important indicators of the health of a community,” said a spokesperson from Nationwide’s Children Hospital. “It is a measure of maternal health, quality of medical care, socioeconomic conditions and public health practices.”