Drug-Dependent Newborns Update: More Facilities are Now Available to Revert the Effects of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

One of the most heartbreaking effects of drugs to mankind-the neonatal abstinence syndrome is embracing the humankind fast. With the increasing rate of babies affected, non-profit organizations in West Virginia currently works together to help these children in their community be set free of their addiction.

­­Neonatal abstinence syndrome refers to the adverse effects newly born infants are experiencing while withdrawing after their exposure to the drug their mothers used during their pregnancy. When mothers take addictive drugs, these drugs will be dissolved and will pass through their blood stream. It is then when the dissolved drug is sent to the placenta eventually be absorbed by the baby.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report that showed about 24,000 babies have the ­­neonatal abstinence syndrome in 2013, as posted in Stat News. As the years go by, the numbers of the kids affected rocketed and are still rising.

Rhonda Edmunds, the director of nursing and a co-founder of Lily's Place, said that treating infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome can be hard especially that their "average" depends on drugs. According to her, the only way to revert the negative effects is to help them "be without drugs," and that is what their group is up to now.

The Lily's Place is one of the facilities that offers cheap yet better service for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome. In fact, based on the article posted by Dispatch, the place is so much better compared to other expensive and loud hospital units that offer the same service.

Lily's Place's private rooms is indeed a perfect haven for these babies. "We can control the lighting, the sound, and it provides a place for the parents," Edmunds added.

Aside from the Lily's Place, two other facilities are also about to open soon. These new havens will be situated in Dayton area in West Virginia and central Ohio.