Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican | Reach | Fall 2018

6 StRoseHospitals.org not only change the life of the baby, but also his or her mother’s life, by helping ensure healthy lives—free from addiction.” EMPOWEREDworks with women to make sure they get the mental health support and medical treatment they need. Expectant and newmothers are also supported in a number of ways through St. Rose’s Community Outreach Centers, including: ●  ● Education on neonatal abstinence syndrome ●  ● Group peer support ●  ● Lactation support ●  ● Parenting classes ●  ● WIC services “Educating mothers is a huge component of EMPOWERED,” says Holly Lyman, MPH, CLC, Director of Community Health for Dignity Health–St. Rose Dominican. “Our NAS classes help moms become experts on their own babies … showing them symptoms to look for so they know if medical treatment is needed.” Connecting in the community The EMPOWERED team continues to raise awareness of the program locally and of the resources available to help. When obstetricians and other providers know, they can guide pregnant women who test positive for drugs toward the help they and their babies may need. “The entire community has been very receptive and supportive in helping fight this epidemic,” Dr. Peterson says. “We’ve received support from government offices, police, support agencies, andmore. It’s been a positive experience all the way around.” Funding for EMPOWERED was provided through the Division by Grant Number 5H79TI080265-02 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Empowering, protecting —Continued from page 5 W I T H D R A W Wakefulness, problems with waking or sleeping Irritability, difficulty self-soothing, high-pitched cry Tremors, twitching (seizures are a rare occurrence) Hypertonia (stiff muscles), hyperactive reflexes (exaggerated startle reflex) Diarrhea, diaphoresis (sweating) Regurgitation (spitting up) and/or poor suck (weak or frantic) Apnea (breathing problems), nasal flaring Weight loss, failure to gain weight Off to a difficult start Symptoms of NAS (withdrawal) in babies: Help is a phone call away. The EMPOWERED help line: 702.616.4912 . Anyone can call! What is NAS? Almost every substance in a pregnant woman’s blood can pass to her baby. Neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, refers to the symptoms that babies may have when withdrawing from opiates, stimulants, sedatives, alcohol, and some antidepressants. Even if a medicine is used as prescribed, it may cause a baby to experience NAS. Heroin, morphine, codeine, oxycodone (OxyContin or Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), meperidine (Demerol), and fentanyl are just some of the opioids that may cause NAS.