West Virginia Perinatal Partnership

Committee on Drug Use During Pregnancy

Chair
--Stefan Maxwell, MD, CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital

Members
--Luis Bracero, MD- CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital
--Shelda Martin, MD (PEIA Medical Director)
--Sandy Young, RNC, MS; Nursing Director of Women and Children’s Services, Thomas Hospital
--Michele Stitely, MD, OB-Gyn, WUV Hospitals
--Ellen Kirby, RN, RFTS Region VIII
--Ann Dacey, RN
--Dee Messinger, RN, RFTS Region II
--Paula Darby, RN, RFTS Region VII
--Trish Sheridan, RN, NICU, CAMC-Women and Children’s Hospital, Charleston
--Kathy Imes, RN, Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery, Cabell-Huntington Hospital
--Fran O'brien, RN, OB Nurse Manager, Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, Ronceverte
--Kelley Cielensky, MS, WVDHHR, Office of Behavioral Health
--Kathy Szafram, MA, LPC, President & CEO, Crittenton Services, Wheeling
--Penny Womeldorf, MSW, WV Healthy Start/HAPI Project, Morgantown
--Shelda Martin, MD, Medical Director, PEIA, Charleston
--Terri Bliziotes, MPH, RN, WV Primary Care Association
--Theresa Frazer, MD, FAAP, Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Bluefield

Staff
--Nancy Tolliver, RN, MSIR
--Michele Grinberg, Attorney

Volunteer to serve on this Committee

Committee on Drug Use During Pregnancy Sub Committee on Medical Guidelines Report and Recommendations

Substance abuse during pregnancy has been identified as an issue critical to the health of mothers and babies. But the issue of how to identify substance abusing pregnant women accurately and quickly and refer them to treatment early is a dilemma for many providers of maternity care.

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Maternal Drug Use

The use of illicit and legal drugs and alcohol among pregnant women has been reported as a major factor in West Virginia's poor newborn outcomes.  The increase in the number of chemically-dependent babies presents a cost to society.  The Perinatal Partnership has identified the problem in detail and made policy recommendations for the treatment of both pregnant women and newborns.  This information is contained in the Reports on the Blueprint to Improve Perinatal Health, and the partners are working now to implement the recommendations.

New Model Policy Developed: Substance Screening and Testing of the Pregnant Patient at the Outpatient Visit

As part of its work, the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership developed a model policy for substance screening and testing of the pregnant patient. Screening and testing for substance abuse in pregnancy increases the identification of substance users and allows for early intervention and treatment. Health care providers tend to show unintentional bias when determining who to screen or test. Therefore all pregnant women should be screened each trimester as part of the normal routine. It is also recommended that all postpartum women be screened, if possible.

Model Policy: Substance Screening and Testing of the Pregnant Patient at the Outpatient Visit (Antepartum and Postpartum)

Model Informed Consent: Screening & Testing for Controlled or Addictive Substances in Pregnancy

Other resources:

Read the most recent Committee on Drug Use During Pregnancy Sub Committee on Medical Guidelines Report and Recommendations (9/15/09).

One in five West Virginia born infants were found to have been subjected to drugs or alcohol while in utero.  View the report of the study and the associated PowerPoint Presentation (12/09)

Maternal Smoking

The problem of maternal smoking offers a challenge to all involved in perinatal health care.  The prospect of a good birth outcome for a pregnant smoker is much dimmer compared to that of a pregnant non-smoker.  On June 19, 2007 the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership sponsored a newly completed presentation on the maternal smoking in West Virginia. You may hear and view the presentation and the discussion here. The following supporting material was made available at the presentation:

Maternal Smoking in West Virginia, 1996-2005: A Hypothetical Assessment of Its Impact on Infant Health by Daniel M. Christy, MPA (Power Point Presentation)

Health Statistics Center Statistical Brief No. 4 Update: Smoking: Effects on Mothers and Babies in West Virginia (MS Word Document)

Table: West Virginia Births 2004-06; Maternal Smoking vs. Non-smoking and Average Birth Weight (Excel Spreadsheet)

West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention's (DTP) 2007 Annual Progress Report (External Link)