(A) The department of mental health and addiction services, in accordance with division (B) of this section, shall give priority to developing, and promptly shall develop, with available public and private resources a program that does all of the following:

(1) Provides a manner of identifying the aggregate number of pregnant women in this state who are addicted to a drug of abuse;

(2) Provides for an effective means of intervention to eliminate the addiction of pregnant women to drugs of abuse prior to the birth of their children;

(3) Gives priority to the treatment of pregnant women addicted to drugs of abuse, including by requiring community addiction services providers that receive public funds to give priority to pregnant women referred for treatment;

(4) Provides for the continued monitoring of women who were addicted to a drug of abuse during their pregnancies, after the birth of their children, and for the availability of treatment and rehabilitation for those women;

(5) Provides a manner of determining the aggregate number of children who are born in this state to women who are addicted, at the time of birth, to a drug of abuse, and of children who are born in this state with an addiction to or a dependency on a drug of abuse;

(6) Provides for the continued monitoring of children who are born in this state to women who are addicted, at the time of birth, to a drug of abuse, or who are born in this state with an addiction to or dependency on a drug of abuse, after their birth;

(7) Provides for the treatment and rehabilitation of any child who is born to a woman who is addicted, at the time of birth, to a drug of abuse, and of any child who is born with an addiction to or dependency on a drug of abuse.

(B) In developing the program described in division (A) of this section, the department may obtain information from the department of health and the department of job and family services, and those departments shall cooperate with the department of mental health and addiction services in its development and implementation of the program.

(C) Immediately upon its development of the program described in division (A) of this section, the department shall implement the program.

(D) Any record or information that is obtained or maintained by the department in connection with the program described in division (A) of this section and could enable the identification of any woman or child described in division (A)(1) or (5) of this section is not a public record subject to inspection or copying under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(E) A community addiction services provider that receives public funds shall not refuse to treat a person solely because the person is pregnant if appropriate treatment is offered by the provider.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 319, §1, eff. 4/6/2017.

Renumbered from § 3793.15 by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.

Former section renumbered as § 5119.51 by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.

Prior History: (R.C. § 3793.15)

(Effective Date: 07-01-200.)