New opioid research center in Little Rock aims for national impact

Arkansas Children's Hospital System last week announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind research center geared toward opioid effects in infants and children.

Why it matters: Infants are being born addicted to drugs and young children are dying of opioid poisoning, hospital officials said.

• "Babies exposed to opioids before birth are more likely to experience abnormal neurodevelopment, have learning impairments and face behavioral health challenges. These children are also much more likely to struggle with substance abuse as they grow up," according to a news release from Arkansas Children's Hospital.

What's happening: The National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness will be on the Arkansas Children's campus in Little Rock. Its researchers will look at how to better treat opioid addiction in newborns and study how babies go on to develop, chief clinical officer Rick Barr told Axios.

• They'll also look at how to prevent opioid misuse and experimentation among teens.

The intrigue: Most newborns in Arkansas with opioid addictions are sent to the main ACH location in Little Rock for treatment. The new center will research ways that rural hospitals across the state can treat babies and train those hospitals on how to treat addiction in newborns. The hope is for the center's findings to help with treatment nationwide, Barr said.

• Babies addicted to opioids usually spend 2-3 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. They rarely die but experience withdrawal symptoms and often battle complications.

By the numbers: The rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome diagnosis — symptoms resulting from drug use during pregnancy — increased nearly elevenfold from 2000 to 2019 in Arkansas, according to a report from the Arkansas Department of Health. The rate was 3.2 per 1,000 births in 2019.

• Arkansas had the second-highest opioid dispensing rate in the nation at 75.8 per 100 people in 2020, according to the CDC.

Details: The $70 million center will be 45,000 square feet. State Attorney General Tim Griffin awarded Arkansas Children's $50 million from opioid settlement money to help pay for the center. The hospital will cover the rest.

What's next: Construction will likely start next year. Research and work with hospitals throughout the state, however, will not wait for the building to be complete and will begBabies exposed to opioids before birth are more likely to experience abnormal neurodevelopment, have learning impairments and face behavioral health challenges. These children are also much more likely to struggle with substance abuse as they grow up," according to a news release from Arkansas Children's Hospital.

What's happening: The National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness will be on the Arkansas Children's campus in Little Rock. Its researchers will look at how to better treat opioid addiction in newborns and study how babies go on to develop, chief clinical officer Rick Barr told Axios.

• They'll also look at how to prevent opioid misuse and experimentation among teens.

The intrigue: Most newborns in Arkansas with opioid addictions are sent to the main ACH location in Little Rock for treatment. The new center will research ways that rural hospitals across the state can treat babies and train those hospitals on how to treat addiction in newborns. The hope is for the center's findings to help with treatment nationwide, Barr said.

• Babies addicted to opioids usually spend 2-3 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. They rarely die but experience withdrawal symptoms and often battle complications.

By the numbers: The rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome diagnosis — symptoms resulting from drug use during pregnancy — increased nearly elevenfold from 2000 to 2019 in Arkansas, according to a report from the Arkansas Department of Health. The rate was 3.2 per 1,000 births in 2019.in soon, Barr said.