WV Tobacco tax proponents say measure will save money

By Rusty Marks Posted: Apr 28, 2016 2:29 PM EDT Updated: Apr 28, 2016 3:23 PM EDT West Virginia will save tens of millions of dollars in medical costs if lawmakers increase the taxes on tobacco products, local health care providers say. Members of the policy research group West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy and local health care providers … Read More

Pass the Buck: Pregnancy Care Providers Want WV to Up Tobacco Tax

Dan Heyman, Public News Service – WV April 29, 2016 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia pregnancy-care providers want lawmakers to “pass the buck” by raising the state cigarette tax by $1 a pack.  With a big hole in the state budget, the $150 million more a year in tobacco revenue looks appealing. But doctors here also hope to reduce the … Read More

Controversial Fetal Assault Law Discontinued by TN Lawmakers

From NPR, “A small but pivotal group of Tennessee representatives voted Tuesday to discontinue one of the state’s most divisive criminal laws. Known as “fetal assault,” the measure empowered prosecutors to arrest women who abuse heroin or pain pills during pregnancy, if their babies were born dependent. A one-of-a-kind statute that criminalized drug use by pregnant women is now on … Read More

Senate advances bill to aid drug-dependent newborns

From Reuters, “A bipartisan bill designed to improve the health and safety of babies born to mothers who used heroin or other opioids during pregnancy was approved by a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday. …Reuters found 110 cases of children who were exposed to opioids while in the womb and who later died preventable deaths at home. No more than nine states comply … Read More

DHHR Launches New Initiative to Address Smoking While Pregnant

From the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “A new initiative to address West Virginia’s staggering smoking rates among pregnant women launched on Wednesday, and represents the first of its kind in the nation to focus on the problem, which plagues West Virginia more than any other state. …Karen Bowling, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Human Resources, said the purpose of … Read More

2015 WV Perinatal Summit Presentations & Photos

On November 5 & 6 2015 the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership held its annual Summit at the Charleston Marriott Town Center. View the 2015 West Virginia Perinatal Summit program and presentations. There is nothing to show here! Slider with alias 2015-Summit-Images not found.

New Report Finds WV Leads Nation in Drug Overdose Deaths

From The Charleston Gazette, “West Virginia has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the U.S., according to a report released Wednesday, further spotlighting Appalachia’s festering drug abuse problem that is also fueling a rise in hepatitis C in one of the nation’s poorest regions. There were about 34 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginia residents from 2011-13, up … Read More

Lily’s Place Offers Love, Treatment for Drug-Addicted Newborns

From The Charleston Gazette: “Four years ago, Mary Brown held a drug-addicted infant in her arms for the first time while volunteering at Cabell Huntington Hospital. Afterward, she asked herself what she was doing with her life and decided to devote herself to a mission: helping newborns who are addicted to drugs. On Saturday, Brown hosted community members at Lily’s … Read More

Education Essential to Cutting Drug Use In Pregnancy

From The Charleston Gazette: “Education is key to reversing the state’s growing problem of drug use among pregnant women, a state advocate for healthy childbirth said Wednesday. “I think a lot of it has to do with education,” said Sandy Young, a member of the Drug Use in Pregnancy committee of the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership. “We educate the communities, … Read More

Research Finds Smoking As Risky As Alcohol, Drugs During Pregnancy

From The Charleston Gazette: “Getting pregnant women to stop smoking is just as important as getting them to stop using alcohol and illicit drugs, a researcher and psychologist told health-care providers Friday morning. Beth Bailey, a psychologist who serves as program director for the Tennessee Intervention for Pregnant Smokers, said doctors sometimes tend to prioritize having pregnant women stop using … Read More