Out of the depths of Huntington’s drug overdose
crisis rises hope in the form of Lily’s Place. The
country’s first neonatal abstinence center
provides hope and help to infants born with
exposure to addictive substances.
JAMIE NULL
The city of Huntington, WV, is one of
the hardest hit places—if not the hardest
hit place—in America when it comes to
the current drug epidemic. This addic-
tion crisis clearly hurts not only the users
but their families, friends, co-workers,
employees and community members. It
also has devastating impacts on another,
more vulnerable population: unborn and
newborn babies.
Since 2014, West Virginia—Hunting-
ton, in particular—has seen a significant
increase in the number of infants born
with prenatal exposure to addictive sub-
stances with almost one in seven new
mothers in Cabell County having abused
drugs prior to or during pregnancy. In
an effort to address this ever-increasing
number, three West Virginia women
joined forces in October 2014 to open
Lily’s Place, the only Neonatal Absti-
nence Syndrome (NAS) center in the U.S.
The center, which treats approximately
100 infants suffering from NAS each year,
provides them with medical care and offers
non-judgmental education and support
services to families and communities to
help manage the needs of these babies.
Creating a Safe Place
Lily’s Place began when two Cabell
Huntington Hospital nurses, Sara Muncy
and Rhonda Edmunds, noticed an in-
crease in the number of babies born with
drug exposure. The hospital’s Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit wasn’t a good envi-
ronment for these infants because it was
overstimulating and there were already
too many critically ill babies in the nurs-
ery, leaving too few beds for the NAS in-
fants. The two nurses began researching
how to care for NAS infants, even travel-
ing to the Pediatric Interim Care Center
in Kent, WA.
“Upon return, they decided to do some-
thing to help these babies,” says Rebecca
Crowder, executive director of Lily’s Place.
“They enlisted Mary Calhoun-Brown,
who was a volunteer cuddler at the hos-
pital. These three women worked very
hard to create Lily’s Place. From their
efforts, the Neonatal Therapeutic Unit
at Cabell Huntington Hospital was also
created. This is a unit that is specifically
for babies with NAS.”
Providing A Holistic Approach
From medical service to social work,
Lily’s Place can provide care for any infant
affected by drugs. Crowder says the medi-
cal staff takes a holistic approach to well-
ness, meaning they care for infants as
they are going through the withdrawal
process but also care for their families as
they deal with the environmental issues
of having an NAS baby.
The weaning process varies, depend-
ing on what types of drugs the infant was
exposed to in the womb. Crowder esti-
mates that the average timeframe for the
process is three to four weeks, but some
can last up to two months. Each baby
at Lily’s Place has his or her own room
much like a nursery at home, and staff
can introduce light and sound slowly.
There, parents can bond with their baby
in a safe environment.
A nursery room
for recovering
infants. Photo
by Lily’s Place.
How You Can Help
Like many nonprofits in the state,
donations are always needed to help
maintain and increase services at
Lily’s Place. The organization’s website
features a wish list that is updated by the
staff. Critical needs include diaper bags,
activity play maps, Wubbanub pacifiers,
baby memory books for the first year
and more. Ongoing needs are diapers,
car seats and various household items
like paper towels and Ziploc bags. A full
list can be found at www.lilysplace.org.
A creative way to collect donations
is to host a baby shower for Lily’s
Place. Using the online wish list, invite
friends and family to come together and
support NAS babies in West Virginia.
Volunteers are also welcome at Lily’s
Place. According to Rebecca Crowder,
executive director of Lily’s Place, many
volunteers cuddle and rock babies, and
they can also assist with laundry and
other household tasks.
“All of our volunteers go through a
background check and have mandatory
training on how to hold and comfort the
babies,” says Crowder. “It is important
that therapeutic handling techniques
are used at all times.”
While offering short-term care, the
staff also provides training, connects
families with recovery groups and offers
many other services during an infant’s
stay at Lily’s Place. During their stay, it
is important that the families and staff
create a bond and maintain a relationship.
“Many mothers need long-term care
and counseling to balance the harm
of trauma and drug addiction,” says
Crowder. “The services provided by Lily’s
Place do not end when infants graduate
from our program.”
Two follow-up clinics each month are
conducted for parents and infants who
have graduated from the program. Dr.
Mitzi Payne, a pediatric neurologist, as-
sesses the infants for neurological symp-
toms, while a social worker works with
the parents and caregivers. All partici-
pants are given baby supplies, and there
is no time limit or age restriction for the
follow-up visits.
WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM
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