HLS 15RS-3191 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 162
BY REPRESENTATIVE BARROW AND SENATOR ALLAIN
CHILDREN/NEWBORNS: Requests the Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of
Infant Mortality to study and make recommendations concerning prevention and
treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality
3 to study and make recommendations related to the prevention, screening, and
4 treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome and to submit a written report of its
5 findings and recommendations to the House and Senate committees on health and
6 welfare no later than March 1, 2016.
7 WHEREAS, R.S. 40:2018 established the Commission on Perinatal Care and
8Prevention of Infant Mortality and provided for certain functions that are to be carried out
9by the commission which include all of the following:
10 (1) Research and review all state regulations, guidelines, policies, and procedures
11that impact perinatal care and, when appropriate, making recommendations to the secretary
12of the Department of Health and Hospitals and to the legislature; and
13 (2) Provide, through comparison of available data and research, for a plan that the
14state of Louisiana can adopt to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, sick infants, and
15infant mortalities; and
16 (3) Propose a plan for an equitable system of financing comprehensive health and
17social services for indigent pregnant women and infants that incorporates the Medicaid
18program in the most efficient and cost-effective manner available to public and private
19hospitals in the state of Louisiana; and
Page 1 of 3 HLS 15RS-3191 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 162
1 (4) Compile and analyze information on existing infant mortality education
2programs and make recommendations for the implementation of public policies, for
3proposed legislation, and for a statewide program to combat the problem of infant mortality
4to coordinate and improve the services of the state, local governments, private and voluntary
5agencies, community organizations, and schools which serve to educate high risk candidates
6and their families; and
7 (5) Educate women of child-bearing age to be able to choose food wisely and
8understand the hazards of smoking, alcohol, pharmaceutical products, and other drugs during
9pregnancy and nursing; and
10 WHEREAS, neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a constellation of physiologic
11and neurobehavioral signs exhibited by newborns exposed to addictive prescription or illicit
12drugs taken by a mother during pregnancy and infants with NAS generally experience
13prolonged hospital stays, serious medical complications, and their treatment is very costly;
14and
15 WHEREAS, there has been a significant increase in the national prevalence of NAS
16with the diagnosis of NAS increasing from over one per one thousand hospital births in 2000
17to over three per one thousand hospital births in 2009; and
18 WHEREAS, many healthcare providers believe that there has also been a significant
19increase of cases of NAS in Louisiana, although there is a lack of accurate and robust data
20to verify; and
21 WHEREAS, public health experts generally believe that the rise in NAS births goes
22hand-in-hand with a significant increase in prevalence of mothers dependent on or using
23opiates at the time of delivery and compounding this problem is the fact that the population
24of pregnant women with opioid dependence is varied, and their circumstances span the
25spectrum from heroin addiction, polydrug abuse, prescription opioid abuse, MAT
26(methadone maintenance or buprenorphine maintenance), and chronic opioid use prescribed
27for medical indications; and
28 WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the state that a deeper understanding of this
29problem is developed and more accurate and robust data is compiled which will allow the
Page 2 of 3 HLS 15RS-3191 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 162
1state to adopt meaningful recommendations and reforms to address this growing epidemic
2affecting so many children of our state.
3 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
4urge and request the Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality to
5study and make recommendations related to the prevention, screening, and treatment of
6neonatal abstinence syndrome and to submit a report of the data and recommendations to the
7House and Senate committees on health and welfare no later than March 1, 2016.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby urges and
9requests the Department of Health and Hospitals to provide all necessary data to adequately
10determine the prevalence and cost of NAS to the state of Louisiana and to require the Bayou
11Health managed care plans to make available to the commission all current treatment
12protocols and guidelines currently in effect regarding NAS.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Medicaid Quality Committee shall provide
14the requisite clinical expertise and recommendations to the commission for purposes of
15assisting in the development of recommendations concerning the prevention, screening and
16treatment of NAS.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall seek the input and
18guidance of the office of behavioral health of the Department of Health and Hospitals.
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the
20Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality and the secretary of the
21Department of Health and Hospitals.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 162 Original 2015 Regular Session Barrow
Requests the Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality to study and
make recommendations related to the prevention, screening, and treatment of neonatal
abstinence syndrome and to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to
the House and Senate committees on health and welfare no later than March 1, 2016.
Page 3 of 3