Sullivan County Sees Major Decline in Newborns Dependent on Opioids

New York’s state health department data shows major progress for Sullivan County in its fight against the opioid crisis, with a sharp decline in newborns dependent on opioids in the county.

According to state health data, Sullivan County’s crude rate of newborns with neonatal withdrawal symptoms or affected by maternal use of opioids or other substances dropped from 57.1 per 1,000 newborns in 2020 to 16.9 in 2024 – a 72 percent decline in four years.

Sullivan County Health & Human Services Commissioner John Liddle said that the sharp increase in babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome in 2020 coincided with the “perfect storm” of the COVID pandemic and opioid epidemic peaks.

“It wasn’t just everybody’s social isolation. It was also [that] people were afraid to go to the doctor because they were worried about getting COVID,” said Liddle. “We had everything going wrong at the same time in 2020 with regards to keeping our babies and moms safe.”

New York State Opioid Data, Rate of Newborns with Neonatal Withdrawal Symptoms (2020-2024)

Source: New York State Department of Health, New York State Opioid Data Dashboard

Liddle says a coordinated effort among community partners and agencies – including the Maternal Infant Services Network and United Sullivan – has made a big difference.

Expanded access to addiction treatment programs with prenatal and postnatal care, such as New Hope Manor in Barryville, has also contributed to the decline, he says. There used to be a higher demand from New York City for treatment placements for mothers. Now, Liddle says the state has made improvements to neonatal intensive care in recent years that more families locally can access treatment programs in Sullivan County.

While county, state, and national data shows an overall drop in opioid overdose deaths, officials warn that the fight against substance use is far from over. Liddle says the fight is evolving.

“[One] concern we have is the diversification of the drug supply now,” said Liddle. “Dealers and manufacturers are, what a lot of people would call cutting or stepping on a supply by adding fentanyl to less dangerous drugs like marijuana, for example.”

Still, he says the decline shows significant progress that the county’s harm reduction and other health strategies are working. “Everybody’s really come together to support young mothers who have struggled with substance use, so I feel good about this one that the trend is gonna continue in our favor.”

Image: The toes of a baby are seen at DHR Health, July 29, 2020, in McAllen, Texas. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)