The number of babies in Maine who are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome — a condition they may experience if exposed to opioids or other substances in the womb — has declined in recent years, according to state CDC epidemiologist Erika Lichter.
During a virtual conference Tuesday on Maternal and Child Health and Substance Exposed Infants, Lichter said that the rate slid from about 33 per 1,000 hospital births in 2016 to just under 23 per 1,000 in 2019.
"That said, Maine has the second highest rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome in the US, but we are heading in the right direction when a lot of other states are actually heading in the opposite direction," Lichter said.
The two-day conference focuses on a range of issues affecting families, from substance use and mental health to health equity.
