New Jersey has worked for years to improve maternal health outcomes, but one of the greatest challenges has been addressing pregnant or new mothers who face addiction, as many patients deal with feelings of guilt and doctors who aren’t trained to treat the illness.
According to the state Department of Health, addiction during and after pregnancy is the leading cause of maternal death in the state.
“They often get turned away,” said state Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston recently. “Providers don’t necessarily feel comfortable or know how to treat people in pregnancy. The [women also] get turned away from in-patients if they try to go to a detox or a stabilization. They may get turned away because [programs] say ‘Oh, we can’t treat you, you’re pregnant.'”
Experts have said the average OB/GYN office does not have the resources necessary to help support patients who have such complex psycho-social needs. When the women are not referred to doctors set up for the unique care required, they’re often met with stigma that only adds to the trauma.
“We have so many images of what a parent or a mother is supposed to look like, and regardless of … very well-intentioned clinicians, a lot of people don’t know what to do clinically in this scenario,” said Dr. Mollie Nisen, clinical director of the perinatal addiction medicine program at Cooper University Hospital.
Nisen said the state should require physicians, including OB/GYNs, to receive extra training as part of their licensing that includes addiction and mental health care.
