DOYLESTOWN, PA (May 8, 2018) – They are the youngest victims of America’s opioid epidemic – babies born to addicted mothers, who enter the world dependent on the drugs and at risk of severe withdrawal symptoms. Individuals and families who are caring for these infants need information and guidance about the effects of opioid exposure in infants, both in the short and long term.
KidsPeace Foster Care in Doylestown is conducting training sessions on caring for opioid-impacted babies. The trainings will be held on June 12th and 19th at the Bucks County Audubon Society, 2877 Creamery Road in New Hope, PA. There will be two sessions per day – 9:30 a.m.-noon and 6:00-8:30 p.m. The training is free but advance registration is required.
The training sessions are meant for foster and kinship care parents and healthcare professionals, and will provide an overview of current understanding about opioid use among pregnant women and the impact on their babies’ health and development. The training will discuss Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), and highlight areas in which more research and information sharing on the problem is needed:
- What is involved in an opioid addiction and how at-risk mothers can be identified ahead of time;
- How babies are assessed for NAS, and what symptoms can foster parents expect to see;
- What techniques foster parents have found in terms of caring for these infants;
- What insights the available research can and cannot provide regarding long-term effects;
- What resources are available to foster parents with an infant with NAS.
Funding for the training program is provided by Foundations Community Partnership, the Genuardi Family Foundation and TE Connectivity.
Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-youngest-victims-fostering-opioid-impacted-babies-registration-45499407954?utm_term=eventurl_text for more information and to register for the training sessions.
For more than 135 years, KidsPeace has been building on its expertise to give hope, help and healing to children, families and communities throughout the United States. Through its comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; unique psychiatric hospital and foster care and community-based programs, KidsPeace is dedicated to helping people connect, transform and overcome their challenges to ensure a stable future, transition to adulthood and gain independence. Since its doors opened in 1882, more than 200,000 children have participated in one of the multitude of programs KidsPeace offers.
For additional resources or more information on how to get involved, become a foster parent or make a donation, please visit www.kidspeace.org. Follow us at www.facebook.com/kidspeace.org or on Twitter @KidsPeace.
Information Provided By:
Robert Martin
Director of Communications
