Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist NJ Department of Health, Division of Family Health Services Trenton, New Jersey, United States
Quantitative and qualitative analyses from 2016-2018 were conducted and identified that 58% (n=44) of pregnancy-associated, but not related deaths in NJ were due to opioid overdose and of those deaths, all were determined to have SUD. Additionally, 63.4% of these deaths were determined to have co-occurring mental health conditions that contributed to their death. When looking at the delivery outcomes among women who died from opioid use and had a live birth, 50% of women had a child who was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), 42.8% utilized WIC during pregnancy, and 68% were insured by Medicaid at the time of delivery. These statistics highlight a need to identify areas to better support both mothers who have existing SUD and their children to better enhance health outcomes. Leaning on coordinated support from both the state and community can help better facilitate education and access, resource dissemination, and targeted approaches to combatting substance use among pregnant and recently pregnant women.
