Webinar: Perinatal Substance Use: Screening, Treatment, and Impact on Pregnancy Outcomes

[Update: An additional resource was added to the resource list below on October 21, 2021.]
[Update: An additional resource was added to the resource list below on October 28, 2021.]

Substance use and drug overdoses in the United States are on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Researchers also report increased anxiety and depression among pregnant women. What does this mean for perinatal substance use? And what can home visitors do to help?

In this webinar — hosted by LA Best Babies Network on September 16, 2021, for staff in our network of home visiting organizations and Welcome Baby hospitals — Dr. Margaret Lynn Yonekura, MD:

• Defines addiction, substance use disorder, and opioid use disorder
• Shares the importance of screening for perinatal substance use, including how to recognize and identify substance abuse
• Discusses the short- and long-term impact of substance abuse for mother and baby
• Reviews potential treatment options and resources in the community
• Provides strategies for sharing treatment options and resources with families in a non-judgmental way

About the presenter:

In addition to serving as LABBN’s Executive Director, Dr. Margaret Lynn Yonekura is the Director of Community Benefits for Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center. She is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Ob-Gyn at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles, with a research focus in infectious diseases in Ob-Gyn and perinatal substance abuse. Dr. Yonekura also oversees Options for Recovery: Harbor-South Bay, the comprehensive perinatal substance abuse treatment program she established over 20 years ago at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Yonekura has received numerous awards for teaching excellence and has been recognized at the local, state, and national levels for her service to the community and for the programs that she directs. 

Related Resources

• Presentation slides: Perinatal Substance Use: Screening, Treatment, & Impact on Pregnancy Outcome
• L.A. County Substance Abuse Service Helpline (SASH): 1-844-804-7500
• L.A County Substance Use Service & Bed Availability Tool (LA County Dept. of Public Health)
• Figure with summary of the effects of substance use for a pregnant woman: Developmental Consequences of Fetal Exposure to Drugs: What We Know and What We Still Must Learn (Neuropsychopharmacology)
• Figure with summary of the effects of distinct drug classes on offspring development: Developmental Consequences of Fetal Exposure to Drugs: What We Know and What We Still Must Learn (Neuropsychopharmacology)
• Infographic: Medications for Opioid Overdose, Withdrawal, & Addiction (National Institutes of Health)
• Words Matter – Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
• FASD Resources: Improving Outcomes for Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (blog post with resources from webinar hosted by LABBN on 9/13/21)
• WORKING RECOVERY: Why Employment is Pivotal to Sustained Addiction Recovery (Massachusetts Access to Recovery (ATR))
  A series of panel discussions that highlight a range of voices and experiences from all areas of the employment and recovery continuum, including workforce development specialists; individuals in recovery; and international, national, and regional leaders. After you have registered for on-demand access here, you will be required to confirm your email address. Once you have done that, you can access the symposium here.
• Compassion and Care: Supporting Women with Substance Use Disorders and Their Newborns (Parent-Child Relationship Program)
  Learn how to support women with substance use disorders—and their newborns. This 45-minute video is narrated through a trauma-informed lens and supports the Eat, Sleep, Console model of care. Also, listen for the impact that a strengths-based practice can have on the families you serve. This compelling and informative video follows two women—one in recovery, and the RN who cared for her at the hospital.