Illinois § 10

§ 10.

Findings. The General Assembly finds the following: (1) During pregnancy, substance use is a leading cause of maternal death and is associated with poor birth outcomes, including fetal growth restriction, fetal death, and preterm labor. (2) Pregnant people with substance use disorders are less likely to seek treatment or report substance use due to fear of criminalization, shame, and judgment; they may also avoid seeking care within the health care system due to fear of being reported to the child welfare system and subsequent removal of their children. (3) The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists and the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative recommend identifying pregnant people with substance use disorders through universal self-reporting screening, brief intervention, and referral to specialized care for treatment. (4) Pregnant and parenting individuals with a substance use disorder should be encouraged to receive evidence-based treatment and not suffer punitive actions for starting or continuing treatment, including when medications for opioid use disorder are part of the treatment protocol. (5) There is a pressing need for increasing access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders and supportive care for families, including the appropriate use of family needs assessments and family recovery plans. (6) The cooperation and coordination of supportive services for pregnant, peripartum, and postpartum individuals and families are essential to help newborns and children and to encourage and support treatment, recovery, and a safe and healthy environment for children and the family. (7) There is a need for a coordinated, public health, and service-integrated response by various agencies in this State's health and child welfare systems to work together to ensure the safety and well-being of infants with prenatal substance exposure and pregnant and birthing people with substance use disorders by developing, implementing, and monitoring a family recovery plan approach that addresses the health and substance use treatment and recovery needs of the infant and affected family or caregiver. (Source: P.A. 103-941, eff. 8-9-24.)