Effective opioid use disorder treatment of parents is the first step to keeping children safe and healthy. Medication-assisted treatments (MATs) with buprenorphine or methadone have significantly improved outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder compared with treatments that do not include medication. This is true for both women who are pregnant and parents who are involved with child welfare, among whom research reveals that MAT is associated with improved birth outcomes and child safety, respectively. States should begin planning to leverage new federal reimbursement for preventive services to better support families involved with the child welfare system because of opioids. A new investment in evidence-based programs that simultaneously offer MAT and evidence-based parenting interventions can help address long term consequences of this epidemic for children.
Resource Type