Studies have found that smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol can stunt a baby’s growth in the womb or cause premature birth, lifelong defects or death.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) developed Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in 2011. This is a screening tool for doctors to ask pregnant Medicaid members about their tobacco use, alcohol and substance use, domestic violence, and mental health.
The screening only takes a few minutes to complete. The goal of SBIRT is to reduce the state’s infant mortality rate by getting women the help they need to keep their babies healthy.