A standard of care for infants diagnosed with prenatal substance exposure has been set across the state.
With the addition of Christiana Care Health System and St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington this week, all six of Delaware’s birthing hospitals are now implementing what is called “plans of safe care.”
The other four hospitals had already been participating in a pilot program.
Plans of safe care require hospitals to contact the Department of Family Services when an expecting mother tests positive for any of a list of flagged substances. This does not include medication-assisted treatment prescribed by a doctor such as buprenorphine or methadone.
Investigative Coordinator for Child Advocate Jennifer Donahue says once one of the eight DFS workers in the state is notified, they will come to the hospital for a meeting prior to the infant’s discharge.
“It’s really a discussion about what this mom needs, what this family needs and how we’re going to make referrals for those services once mom and baby leave the hospital,” said Donahue.
A non-punitive plan of safe care document is then filled out to coordinate the follow-up services. This could include things like addiction counseling, mental health treatment and parenting classes.
Wendy Felts is the Nurse Manager of the Women’s Health Unit at St. Francis. She says before plans of safe care St. Francis had a less inclusive safety plan.
“More focused on just the baby and the safety of the baby and the other children in the household, but not really supportive of the mom in her recovery or in supporting her to make sure she has assistance in getting to where she needs to go and the treatment that she needs,” said Felts.
Gov. Carney signed the plans of safe care model into law in June.
Donahue says Delaware is first to implement such a program statewide.
459 substance exposed infants were reported to DFS last year, and Donahue says the state is on pace to reach a similar total this year.
