By Wayne Drash, CNN | Updated 7:24 AM ET, Tue December 13, 2016 | See the original CNN story Huntington, West Virginia (CNN) — The high-pitched, inconsolable screams of babies born dependent on heroin and other opiates echo across the otherwise quiet facility. The babies also shake, vomit and suffer from diarrhea. But it is their shrill screams that caretakers … Read More
Rise in Infant Drug Dependence Is Felt Most in Rural Areas
By CATHERINE SAINT LOUISDEC. 12, 2016 | Read the New York Times Story As the opioid epidemic sweeps through rural America, an ever-greater number of drug-dependent newborns are straining hospital neonatal units and draining precious medical resources. The problem has grown more quickly than realized and shows no signs of abating, researchers reported on Monday. Their study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, concludes … Read More
NAS Questions to be added to West Virginia Birth Score
Beginning October 1, 2016 information on intrauterine substance exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) will be reported on the West Virginia Birth Score. This policy update was announced by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health on August 26, 2016. The Birth Score Program staff have scheduled interactive demonstrations of the questions that will … Read More
We are the Key to Cancer Prevention: WV HPV Vaccination Campaign
About two thirds of West Virginia’s adolescents are not fully vaccinated against HPV and its related cancers. We can change this and protect them from a future of cancer. West Virginia HPV Vaccination Campaign West Virginia has some of the highest rates of HPV-associated cancers in the nation. Nine types of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its associated cancers are preventable … Read More
2016 WV Perinatal Summit
This event is provided by the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership. It is made possible through grants from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Division of Health Sciences; WV Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities; WV Bureau for Public Health, Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, the March of Dimes and through support from partners listed below. Date … Read More
Zika Virus Update
The Zika virus continues to generate concern among all people, particularly pregnant women and their practitioners. With the identification of local transmission within the continental United States, this concern has grown. The following is a brief overview of information available and links to reliable resources for patients and practitioners. Zika is a virus transmitted via the Aedes species mosquitoes, sexual … Read More
Why Finland’s Newborns Sleep in Cardboard Cribs
From the NEW YORK TIMES At a glance, it seems a strange place to put a newborn: a bit of bedding and a miniature sleeping bag arranged in a cardboard box. Even so, that’s the first place that many Finnish infants lay their little heads. And the simple setup is believed to be one reason that Finland now has one … Read More
March of Dimes Says Preterm Birth Rate Increase Is A Wake-Up Call
Statement by Edward R.B. McCabe, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the March of Dimes White Plains, NY | Thursday, June 02, 2016 For the first time in eight years, the national preterm birth rate has increased rather than decreased, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The 2015 preliminary preterm birth rate for the … Read More
Forget Me Not Support Group offers connection for mothers
By Brooke Thibodaux |Friday, May 6th 2016 | WCHS-TV News CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — Losing a child is undesirable for any parent. Losing a child during pregnancy can be isolating for the mother. There is a Facebook support group of local moms who are working to change the conversation and help each other. Eyewitness News met with one of those … Read More
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep captures last moments of still-borns for parents
By Brooke Thibodaux |Friday, May 6th 2016| WCHS-TV News CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — No parent plans to lose their child, but for some their worst fear becomes a reality. One nonprofit organization, named after a classic bed time prayer, is helping parents capture moments they can never get back. Eyewitness News shares the story of the Johns family. Erica and … Read More