Mothers in treatment for opioid use disorder shouldn’t also have to fight child protective services By Arthur Robin Williams and Judith ColeMay 31, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/31/mothers-treatment-opioid-addiction-child-protective-services/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9QtiWZUxETiESBDwfYKO7_yWD5QeMnDPsAzXVdRCnSKJAmta6HQv7BAMk1J5bR3wtZRcRzcq5dcSSPP1ylx-kjauhlEw&_hsmi=309503763&utm_content=309503763&utm_source=hs_email Mothers undergoing opioid use disorder treatment can face two battles: One against the addiction, and the other to keep custody of their children. Child services often misguidedly remove kids and babies from parents in this situation, write Arthur Robin Williams and Judith Cole, who work for Ophelia, a company that provides opioid addiction treatment. For many years, the law specified child protective services should get informed if a newborn was affected by “illegal” drugs, though in 2016 the "illegal" specification was removed — thus including methadone and buprenorphine, treatments for opioid use disorder. These measures can dissuade mothers from seeking care, Williams and Cole argue in a First Opinion. Individual states and hospitals are addressing this by significantly limiting the cases that warrant reporting. More here about what it would mean to adopt that approach at the federal level.