Washington State Hospitals Don’t Need to Report All Drug Exposed Newborns to CPS

Social and economic policies and norms that devalue mothers have had a profoundly negative impact on birth rates. Peter Schulzek/Shutterstock

Hospitals in Washington state are no longer required to report infants with prenatal drug exposure to Child Protective Services (CPS), provided there are no safety concerns.

The updated state policy allows voluntary “wrap-around” services to be provided to infants born exposed to drugs if health care providers have no safety concerns.