Vermont has some of the highest rates of substance use throughout pregnancy in the country. Alcohol, cannabis, opioids, tobacco–across all substances and across the state, we have work to do.
To help Vermonters understand that there is no known safe amount of substance use for a healthy pregnancy
we encourage health care professionals to continue the conversation with their patients. A conversation that lasts 9+ months and, hopefully, results in more and more substance-free pregnancies.
To understand how the Department of Health could help, we had some conversations of our own. We spoke with health care professionals across the state from different disciplines including: OB/GYNs, pediatricians, nurses, nurse midwives, lactation consultants and social workers. While approaches varied, one issue kept coming up–the lack of an easy-to-use centralized place for information and tools about substance use during and after pregnancy.
We listened. Here you’ll find the latest information on all substances collected from professional resources and organized for ease-of-use. We’ve also created materials for you to share with patients, a patient-centric version of this webpage and other tools to encourage them to keep talking.
All because ...
One More Conversation Can Make the Difference.
