More Wisconsin babies born addicted to heroin

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The babies are frantic — their cries are inconsolable and it's difficult to watch. Just days old, they are in withdrawal from heroin.

"The withdrawal impacts their entire body," said Dr. Jamie Limjoco, a neonatologist and head of the neonatal intensive care unit at Madison's American Family Children’s Hospital. "The nurses who care for them need to have a lot of patience. The babies have difficulty eating, sleeping and they are sweaty and frantic."

NICU staff provide the necessary drugs and care for about five weeks to ensure the baby is safely weaned from opioids, Limjoco said. But the infants born addicted to heroin and other opiates suffer immensely as they learn to live without the drugs.

It's an issue in intensive care units that is growing statewide at an alarming rate.The number of babies born addicted to heroin and other opiates in Wisconsin has more than doubled since 2009 —  it's now more than 500 newborns a year — and the births are occurring all across the state, including in relatively small, rural counties.

"It's very disheartening and it's troublesome to see a baby in that condition," said Anne La Chapelle, social work supervisor at Wood County Human Services.

When a baby is born addicted to heroin, a county social worker assesses the mother and baby in the hospital to determine whether there is family involved who will provide good care for the infant. The social worker sets up treatment for the mother and, in the best possible scenarios, the mom stays clean and is able to care for her child, La Chapelle said.

"Often it doesn't happen that way and the baby goes into foster care and is adopted," La Chapelle said. The social workers she oversees say their visits to the NICU at Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield when a baby is born addicted are "very disturbing," she said.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reviewed data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Department of Children and Families from 2009 to 2014, the most recent year for which data was available. This data shows that in five years, the number of admissions to hospitals of babies born addicted to opiates, also called neonatal abstinence syndrome, rose dramatically throughout the state and throughout central Wisconsin:

• Wisconsin in 2009 had 227 admissions of babies born with opiate addiction. In 2014, it had 508 — an increase of 125 percent. The state's worst year was 2013, when 540 babies were admitted with the addiction. In the five-year period, 2,362 babies were born with opiate addictions.
• Marathon County had five admissions in 2009 and three in 2014. The county's worst year was 2012, when nine babies were born addicted. There were 35 babies born with opiate addictions in the five-year period.
• Lincoln County had one admission in 2009 and one admission in 2014. The county's worst year was 2010, when five babies were born with opiate addictions. There were 14 babies born with opiate addictions in the five-year period.
• Wood County had no admissions in 2009 and two admissions in 2014. The county's worst year was 2013, when three babies were born addicted. There were 11 babies born with opiate addictions in the five-year period.
• Portage County had two admissions in 2009 and two admissions in 2014. In 2010 and 2011, there was one admission each year. There were 10 babies born with opiate addictions in the five-year period.

"We are definitely seeing a trending increase and I think this is a consequence of what we are seeing with the drug trends," La Chapelle said.

Since 2008, every county in central Wisconsin has reported growing numbers of heroin-related arrests. Two things happened at about the same time that caused heroin use to increase, said Renee Krueger, director of Lincoln County Department of Social Services.

Methamphetamine had been the cheap, easy-to-buy illegal drug until the state cracked down on meth production in 2005 by restricting the sale of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, an ingredient key to making meth, Krueger said.

This coincided with physicians restricting the amount of opiate-based pain relievers prescribed and the rise in cheap supplies of of illegal heroin, Krueger said.

"It became easier to buy heroin with more people becoming addicted to heroin," Krueger said.

Heroin is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome, where support and treatment are critical for a successful outcome, said Limjoco, the Madison neonatologist. While the prognosis for a baby successfully withdrawn from heroin is good, it also depends on the child's home environment, she said.

"Some of these babies will do just fine, but if a baby goes home with the mother and the mom continues to abuse drugs and the baby is neglected or there are other environmental factors such as second-hand smoke or poor nutrition, it's not a great prognosis," she said.

Case challenges law on charging drug-addicted mothers

Tammy Loertscher, of Medford, was 31 years old and pregnant when she was jailed for 18 days in 2014.

Loertscher had admitted to a medical provider that she had used marijuana and amphetamines to self-medicate before she realized she was pregnant, said Jeff Bowen of Perkins Coie LLP, one of her attorneys. Loertscher said she had turned to drugs after she became depressed when she ran out of her thyroid medication and lacked the funds to buy more.

When Loertscher suspected she was pregnant, she "immediately quit" and sought medical help, Bowen said. The medical provider reported her drug use to county officials who ordered her to a drug treatment program. Loertscher said she wasn't an addict and because she refused the treatment she was found in contempt of court and jailed, Bowen said.

In Wisconsin, a woman can be arrested for abusing drugs while pregnant. The law was passed in 1997 to prosecute women whose behavior placed the fetus at risk.

After Loertscher's stint in jail, she filed a lawsuit in December 2014 in federal district court arguing that the law is unconstitutional. The state sought to have the suit thrown out but the court denied the motion in September 2015, and the case is scheduled for trial Nov. 7, 2016, according to court records.

It's difficult to determine how often the law is applied since the charges are carried through the juvenile court system, which is confidential, Bowen said.

"This law makes the standard child protective apparatus applicable to a fetus, so the hearings are confidential and sealed," he said.

A pregnant mother who is a drug addict needs help and treatment, which generally does not include jail, Limjoco said.

"Moms typically aren't arrested," Limjoco said. "If a pregnant woman tests positive for illicit drugs, it needs to be reported, but we want the woman to get help during her pregnancy and following the birth of her child so that there is a good outcome for both the mom and baby."

Reporter Liz Welter can be reached at 715-898-7008, or by email at liz.welter@gannettwisconsin.com. Find her on Twitter as @welter_liz