July 12, 2017 Kendall Morris The fight against opioids is making an impact in East Tennessee as data shows the number of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has dropped in the region. Comparing 2015 to 2016 data, the number of babies born with NAS in Knox County decreased by 18 percent. During the […]
Hep C rates climb in Tennessee amid opioid epidemic
Holly Fletcher May 11, 2017 Rural parts of Tennessee have been hit hard by a nationwide rise in Hepatitis C infections in pregnant women, likely a result of the opioid abuse epidemic, according to new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Tennessee Department of Health. The presence of Hepatitis C at birth increased 89 […]
How a Tennessee OB-GYN turned into an addiction specialist for pregnant women
Anita Wadhwani May 6, 2017 SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Dr. Jennifer Maddron was drawn to obstetrics in her third year of medical school after she witnessed her first delivery. Guided by her Christian faith, it became a calling, she said. But a few years after setting up her practice, just a few miles from the Smoky […]
Stopping the opioid crisis in the womb
Wayne Drash May 5, 2017 Knoxville, Tennessee (CNN) – The sound of a heartbeat pulsates through the air, and a grainy image of a baby flashes on screen. Jessica Hill smiles from her chair in the ultrasound room. Gathered around are her doctor, nurse and best friend. They are all eager, anxious, excited — and worried […]
Small-town struggles: Addiction, lack of resources plague health providers at TN-KY border
Kristi L. Nelson April 18, 2017 A dozen years ago, Dr. Geogy Thomas wasn’t prepared to see pregnant women addicted to pain medication in his little rural primary-care clinic. When they trickled in, he’d refer them to a high-risk obstetrics practice at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, an hour away. Then he […]
Legislation educating ‘at-risk’ mothers of drug dependent babies passes committee
April 7, 2017 Zach Vance Nearly one-third of babies born in Niswonger Children’s Hospital at any given time are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, according to hospital officials. Last year, more than 200 babies born in the Tri-Cities were exposed to addictive opiate drugs while in their mothers’ wombs. According to a Tennessee Department of […]
Number of babies born dependent on drugs growing,ETSU researching to find answers
TRI-CITIES, TN (WJHL)- Right now our region has one of the biggest populations of babies born dependent on drugs. Out of the entire state, the East Tennessee region from Knoxville to Northeast TN accounts for nearly half of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or NAS. There are still many questions surrounding NAS, and the […]
