ETSU Health's Baby Steps Clinic Recognized As ‘Promising Practice'

From East Tennessee State University:

JOHNSON CITY – The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recognized ETSU Health’s Baby Steps clinic as a “Promising Practice” for enhancing primary care services for children and families affected by prenatal opioid exposure.

The Baby Steps Clinic is an interdisciplinary clinic at ETSU Health Pediatrics that cares for the complex needs of children from birth to 5 years who have been affected by prenatal substance exposure.

“The purpose of the clinic is to partner with families in recovery and ensure the best possible outcomes for children exposed to substances before birth,” said Dr. Dianna Puhr, Baby Steps medical director.

The Baby Steps team consists of a group of providers from various disciplines, including a care coordinator, audiologist, registered dietitian, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and board-certified pediatrician, as well as community partners from Tennessee Early Intervention Services and Families Free, a licensed substance abuse treatment and mental health provider.

The team works closely together to provide specialized developmental screening, specific tips to try at home to encourage healthy development, referrals for additional evaluations when needed, as well as coordination of additional services and recovery supports for the family.

“The clinic serves a vital role in our community as our region has seen increasing numbers of infants affected by prenatal substance exposure,” Puhr said. “Since the early 2000s, the incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in Tennessee increased by ten-fold, far exceeding the national three-fold increase over the same time period.”

Prenatal drug exposure can have short- and long-term effects on the growth, development, learning, and behavior of children. The clinic works to identify any needs early and provide appropriate interventions in order to support the child’s development and help the child reach his/her full potential.

To learn more about Baby Steps, visit www.etsu.edu/com/pediatrics/babystepsclinic.php. To learn more about the AAP Promising Practice program, visit www.aap.org/en/patient-care/opioids/maternal-infant-health-and-opioid-use-program/promising-practices/.

ETSU Health is the outward-facing brand that includes the pursuits of ETSU’s thriving Academic Health Science Center and the clinical components of ETSU Physicians & Associates and Northeast Tennessee Community Health Centers Inc. For more, visit ETSUHealth.org.

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.