Child Welfare Involvement Linked To 24% Lower Emergency Department Use Among Substance-Exposed Infants

Infants with prenatal substance exposure (PSE) who were involved with the child welfare system (CWS) at birth had a 24% lower rate of repeat moderate- to high-complexity emergency department (ED) use during their first year of life than siblings with PSE who were not involved with CWS at birth. CWS involvement was also associated with a 20% lower rate of any moderate- to high-complexity ED use.

However, the lower ED utilization did not correspond with greater use of preventive care. On-time well-child visits were 7.8 percentage points, or 15%, lower among infants involved with CWS . . .