Child Welfare & Opioid Addiction, Part 1: Striking a Balance of Protection, Treatment

Child Welfare & Opioid Addiction, Part 1: Striking a Balance of Protection, Treatment - Manchester Ink LinkManchester Ink Link:

CONCORD, NH – Dr. Anne Johnston, a neonatologist, remembers a time when she had a lot more conflict with child protection workers. When social services received a report that a pregnant woman was an opioid addict, or that a baby had been born with opioid withdrawal symptoms, a state investigator would come to the hospital and start asking the woman pointed questions. “I would think, ‘Why are you doing this? This mother seems very nice,’” Johnston recalls.