The opioid epidemic has been anything but kind to our country. When the US pharmaceutical industry began selling legal narcotics for everyday aches and pains, consumers never anticipated them being highly addictive. That is, until they found themselves on a path they never could have imagined for themselves. From there, death by overdose quickly surpassed other common means of death at 100 fatalities a day.
Shocking right? Thankfully, justice was served, and each state received opioid settlements. Washington state received $1.6 billion, of which Spokane County was allocated over $17 million.
With the rise of opioid use, the number of infants exposed to those substances in the womb also rose. The result? Heart-wrenching. This is because the substances in their system and their subsequent withdrawal (also known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome of NAS), adversely affect their growth at the most critical time in their lives.
Untreated, the effects can be extremely detrimental. Infants may experience intestinal distress, tremors, feeding difficulty, sensory overload, and many other symptoms soon after birth. All these symptoms affect an infant’s ability to bond and attach with their caregiver, especially if their parent is stuck in addiction. Without intervention, this will hinder their growth and development into healthy adults and potentially usher them into the same habits as their parents. This is an example of a generational cycle of substance abuse.
This is why Maddie’s Place exists, to provide medical care in a nurturing environment for these substance-exposed infants, together with loving, wraparound support for their caregivers. Our low sensory nursery is the best space for these infants suffering from withdrawal to receive intentional and specialized care to meet their specific needs.
It takes a village to make this happen. Thankfully, people like the staff and commissioners at Spokane County have our backs.
After hosting all five county commissioners earlier this year and working closely over the last year with Spokane County director of community services, Justin Johnson, the commissioners unanimously and heartily voted to approve a contract that would provide Maddie’s Place with $600,000 from the opioid settlement.
About a week and a half ago, Maddie’s Place was invited to the County Commissioners’ Consent Agenda Meeting. In this meeting, Shaun Cross, president/CEO of Maddie’s Place, and David and Kayla, former Maddie’s Place parents, all had the chance to thank the commissioners for the impact of their decision.
While Shaun, David, and Kayla spoke, they closely held the attention of the commissioners, all of whom were deeply impacted by their individual visits to our facility.
After listening to them speak, Commissioner Josh Kerns of District 3 stated, “We are the ones that I think are honored to be able to help out with something like this. Because you absolutely have a program and a facility that is working… When we are able to help a place like Maddie’s Place, it changes the world for a lot of people.”
With this grant, Maddie’s Place will be able to close on the property next door to our current facility so that we can provide safe and stable housing for our families impacted by NAS. In addition to this, we will now be able to make some necessary updates to our current facility to accommodate our growing needs.
Commissioner Kerns is right. Maddie’s Place is changing the world for our moms, dads, and their infants. We wouldn’t be open without the support of so many donors across Spokane and beyond. We are thrilled to be another step closer to reaching more people and setting them up for success.
This blog was posted on September 20, 2024.
Questions? Suggestions? Email me at emma.jones@maddiesplace.org