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. 2022 Jan-Feb;16(1):e2-e4.
doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000822.

Pregnancy and the Opioid Crisis: Heightened Effects of COVID-19

Ashley White  1 , Brad Lundahl, Myranda Aryana Bryan, Akiko Okifuji, Marcela Smid, Adam J Gordon, Kristi Carlston, John Silipigni, Walitta Abdullah, Elizabeth E Krans, Amy Kenney, Gerald Cochran
Affiliations

Pregnancy and the Opioid Crisis: Heightened Effects of COVID-19

Ashley White et al. J Addict Med. 2022 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

The opioid epidemic continues to affect pregnant women with opioid use disorder adversely in unique and enduring ways. The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the necessary public health measures implemented to slow the transmission have increased barriers to care for these same women. This commentary explores the implications of these measures and discusses strategies we have developed to manage these challenges based on our work in a clinical trial providing patient navigation to pregnant mothers with OUD. We believe these solutions can be applied in medical, behavioral health, and research settings through the pandemic and beyond to increase the quality of care and resources to this vulnerable population.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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