Women, people who become pregnant and their children have not been spared from the opioid crisis in the United States. In the last 20 years, maternal mortality rates in the United States increased. Deaths related to suicide and overdose may be the leading contributors to maternal mortality up to 1 year postpartum. Relatedly, parental drug use is a frequent driver of child welfare involvement with the number of cases increasing as the opioid crisis expands.
This presentation aims to review the historical and present context that drives the continued crisis for women, birthing people, and their children, and offers hope and solutions to reverse the tide to save lives and break the intergenerational cycles of harm and loss. Discussed will be the current evidence-based recommendations to care for pregnant and postpartum women, people and their children, along with ways to facilitate collaboration and inclusion to promote positive mother/birthing parent and child outcomes.