Tests of umbilical cords from babies born in some Hoosier hospitals show about 14 percent have been exposed to opioids in the womb.

The state is running a pilot program that began in 2016 at four hospitals.  It now tests umbilical cords from babies at about one-third of Indiana hospitals.  It’s looking for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, an illness some infants develop after drug exposure during pregnancy.

The program also includes voluntarily asking mothers questions and testing their urine samples during pregnancy.

Martha Allen is the director of maternal and child health at the state health department.  She says the program aims to help mothers and babies get the help they need during and after pregnancy.

“We want to keep mom and baby together,” Allen says. “So the soonest we can recognize those mothers that need treatment, the earlier we can help them to seek recovery so mom and baby have a better outcome.”

Allen says the percentage of positive opiate results isn’t reflective of the entire state, because not every hospital is participating.

“What we are presuming based on this result, and what we’ve learned from other states, is that our rates are grossly unrepresentative,” Allen says, “and that the problem is likely much higher than these rates are showing.”

Nationally, just under 11 percent of umbilical cords test positive for exposure to opioids.

Results also shows about 18 percent of women tested in Indiana were exposed to marijuana or similar substances during pregnancy.  The program is working to include screenings for alcohol exposure in the future.