HHS Releases and Seeks Comment on the Protecting Our Infants Act Report to Congress

SAMHSA announces the release of the Protecting Our Infants Act Report to Congress in the Federal Register. Mandated by Congress, this report includes:

An overview of prenatal opioid exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) (Part 1).
A description of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) surveillance, research, service delivery, education, and coordination activities for prenatal opioid exposure and NAS, as well as current gaps in HHS programs and recommendations for addressing them (Part 2).
Clinical recommendations for identifying, preventing, and treating prenatal opioid exposure and NAS (Part 3).
A strategy to address gaps, overlap, and duplication among federal programs, and to effectively address prenatal opioid exposure and NAS (Part 4).

HHS seeks public comment on the strategy (Part 4). To be assured consideration, comments must be received no later than February 13, 2017. The report is available for review at http://www.regulations.gov, in Docket No. SAMHSA-2016-0004. Relevant public comment will be incorporated into the final version of the report, which will be published on the HHS website by May 25, 2017.

View the Report to Congress