PRINTABLES

This brochure is built for hospitals, transitional care facilities, and clinics to provide to caregivers of OEC (Opioid-Exposed Children). Most parents of OEC are not given any advice or points to be aware of when they leave the hospital with their child. We aim to change that with this resource.

We've heard from parents and caregivers that many of you have been sent home from the hospital or NICU not fully understanding that your baby will likely continue to experience effects from opioid-exposure in the coming months and years. Many of you went home believing acute withdrawal was the end of the struggle and quickly learned that it was not!

We hope this document becomes a resource for parents and caregivers, as well as hospitals and NICUs, to help support families as they continue care at home.

This handout outlines the common spectrum of symptoms opioid-exposed kids often experience as they grow up, and the unique constellations in which they show up in each individual child.

This is an extremely helpful handout for explaining opioid-exposure related symptoms to your child’s healthcare provider, for conversation and study within the medical field, and for educators to better understand what these kids are dealing with.

Generously shared with us by Mindy Reichelt - Abell.

Mindy is the Director of Secondary Education at an urban school district in Cincinnati, OH. She earned her Ed.D in 2020: her dissertation focus was care coordination for children with prenatal opioid exposure. She continues her advocacy both by engaging in research on pharmacological interventions for prenatal exposure and by sitting on the board of Next Steps, under the auspices of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, which is dedicated to combating the effects of the opioid epidemic.