WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Angus King (I-Maine) today reintroduced the Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act, bipartisan legislation that would help newborns suffering from addiction recover in the best care setting and provide support for their families.

“Every 25 minutes, a baby is born already suffering from opioid withdrawal, and in West Virginia, that rate is approximately three times the national average,” Senator Capito said. “It is vitally important that we make sure infants experiencing this pain have access to specialized care and a range of treatment options. Lily’s Place in West Virginia is already doing a remarkable job of providing that kind of care, and the CRIB Act will make it easier for other states and communities to do the same.”

“With the right care, newborns suffering from addiction have every shot of growing up and leading a healthy life. But treating these babies in the hospital is expensive and can be overwhelming for families,” Senator Brown said. “We must ensure that Ohio moms and babies have access to residential treatment facilities that specialize in giving them the specific kind of care they need and at a lower cost to taxpayers.”

“The Ohio Department of Health estimates that about 84 infants are being treated for drug withdrawal in Ohio hospitals every day,” Senator Portman said. “We must ensure women who are pregnant don’t have access to care and treatment for a substance use disorder. My Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) enacted important changes in the law to ensure that hospitals followed a plan to safe care when babies were born dependent on opioids or other substances. I am also excited about a pilot under CARA that will fund residential treatment for women that allows babies to stay in a safe environment with their mother, instead of being removed from the home. The CRIB Act will provide another opportunity to ensure babies are given the care they need to thrive and I am pleased to cosponsor this bill.”

“The consequences of the opioid epidemic are tragic and far-reaching, hurting even the youngest and most innocent members of our society,” Senator King said. “In Maine today, an estimated one in 12 babies is born with drugs in their system. It’s heartbreaking, but there are steps we can take to help them overcome this tragic struggle – one of which is providing easier access to the type of specialized care that will help put mothers and their children on the road to a healthy and successful life. This bipartisan bill will help make the services provided by residential pediatric care facilities more attainable for families, which will make our children healthier, our families stronger and our communities safer.”

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a withdrawal condition often caused by use of opioids and other addictive substances in pregnant women. Babies with NAS are usually treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and treatment costs are more than five times the cost of treating other newborns. With the bright lights and loud noises, the NICU is not always the best place for newborns suffering from withdrawal. Residential pediatric recovery facilities, an alternative setting to a NICU, offer specialized care and an environment conducive to treating newborns with NAS, as well as counseling for mothers and families that emphasizes family bonding.

The Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act would recognize residential pediatric recovery facilities as providers under Medicaid, allowing Medicaid to cover these services in residential pediatric recovery facilities in addition to hospitals. The bill does not cost tax payers any additional money, but allows babies to receive quality care in the best setting.

U.S. Representatives Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Michael Turner (R-Ohio) introduced a companion bill in the House. 

# # #