First Steps to Healthy Babies

Some babies born in Beltrami County recently have been diagnosed with drug dependency.

The condition they’ve typically picked up is called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and infants affected by it require more immediate care and must stay in a hospital nursery for longer than an average child.

Such conditions can be prevented. The First Steps to Healthy Babies program exists in Beltrami County and on the Red Lake reservation; its goal is to provide parents, especially pregnant women, who have alcohol or drug dependence issues with guidance.

Program directors recently spoke with high school students about the dangers of drug addiction.

Learn more about the story here.