Passage of Brown-sponsored CRIB act expected today

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate is set today to pass the Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act as part of a legislative package to address the ongoing addiction epidemic.

U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, along with two Republicans senators – Rob Portman of the Cincinnati area and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia – co-sponsored the legislation.

Brown was at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital on Friday to tout the bill.

The CRIB Act would help newborns suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome, a withdrawal condition often caused by the use of opioids and other addictive substances in pregnant women.

The bill would allow Medicaid to cover certain health care services provided to infants in residential pediatric recovery facilities in addition to hospitals and also clarify that babies receiving services in residential pediatric recovery centers can continue to receive services after one year of age, and provide for activities to encourage caregiver-infant bonding.