Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Month takes place each September to raise awareness about FASDs and advocate in support of individuals and families living with FASDs. Occurring annually during the 9th month of the year, to represent the 9 months of pregnancy, FASD Awareness Month highlights the importance of an alcohol-free pregnancy and serves as a reminder that there is no known safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.
FASDs are not a clinical diagnosis, but a group of conditions that can occur when a baby is exposed to alcohol before birth. Individuals with FASDs can have lifelong effects, including behavioral and learning challenges and physical difficulties. FASDs are estimated to affect up to 1 in 20 U.S. school children. No safe level of alcohol during pregnancy has been established, and alcohol use can be harmful at any point during a pregnancy. Every pregnancy is different, so it is not possible to predict how exposure to alcohol during pregnancy will impact a particular baby.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is a leading preventable cause of birth defects and neurodevelopmental disabilities in the United States. While there is currently no medical test available to diagnose FASDs, diagnostic services are available. Preventative and early intervention treatment services can help individuals and families get connected to the resources and support they need.
Promoting Substance-Free Pregnancies and Addressing FASDs
NACCHO and the Center for Health and Safety Culture (CHSC) at Montana State University are partnering with local health departments (LHDs) to promote substance-free pregnancies and to prevent and address FASDs. Together CHSC and NACCHO:
- Develop educational offerings for LHD staff to build knowledge and capacity.
- Create tools and resources for LHDs to integrate FASD prevention work into their existing efforts and communicate about the importance of substance-free pregnancies with their communities.
- Convene the Partners for substance-Free Pregnancies Network, a peer-to-peer learning group, comprised of interdisciplinary LHD staff from across the country.
As local leaders in prevention and care, local public health agencies are uniquely positioned to meet the community where they already are. They serve as key sources of information and resources and can identify and address community needs. LHDs can also utilize partnerships and collaborative efforts with other local entities, coalitions, and organizations to coordinate care and resources. NACCHO and CHSC are working closely with LHDs to engage in prevention, early identification and diagnosis, and support for individuals and families within their communities.
Tools and Resources for Local Health Departments
Messages to Promote Substance-Free Pregnancies and Prevent FASDs: A Communication Guide for Local Health Departments
As part of this collaborative effort, LHDs identified challenges with not knowing how to communicate about FASDs or promote substance-free pregnancies with their communities and demonstrated a need for usable language. In response to this feedback, CHSC and NACCHO developed a message guide intended to help LHDs engage in conversations about FASDs with difference audiences. The communication guide:
- Supports conversations directly with people of reproductive age to prevent FASDs
- Engages partners, family members, and close others in supporting people of reproductive ages to prevent FASDs
- Educates communities about FASDs
- Connects families living with FASDs to resources
- Utilizes plain language that is non-stigmatizing, person-first, and gender-inclusive
This tool is meant to guide conversations with various groups and does not need to be used verbatim.
Portfolio Mapping
For LHDs looking to initiate or expand FASD prevention work, CHSC developed a portfolio mapping tool in partnership with LHDs, which is an activity to reveal opportunities to integrate messages and strategies to promote substance-free pregnancies into an organization’s existing work. Once completed, these maps:
- Provide a clear understanding of current strategies aimed at a variety of audiences
- Reveal opportunities to integrate substance-free pregnancy information into existing efforts
- Highlight ways to maximize staff time and resources
If you’re interested in seeing where your organization could integrate FASD prevention efforts into work that you’re already doing, we encourage you to explore these portfolio mapping tools. On our project webpage you’ll find an example map that you can reference, a blank portfolio map for you to fill out for your organization, and a video presentation and how-to-guide on how to get started.
Partners for Substance-Free Pregnancies Network
The Partners for Substance-Free Pregnancies Network is a group of multidisciplinary partners from LHDs and other organizations that meets quarterly to share resources and learn from one another through collaborative information exchange. Participants provide feedback on new materials, gain access to new tools and resources, and engage in peer-to-peer learning. Through this network, members receive opportunities to increase collaboration, strategize how best to utilize tools and materials, provide feedback on what resources participating organizations need, and learn about how to integrate this work into existing efforts.
Whether you are currently involved in FASD prevention work or are interested in learning more and connecting with other organizations across the country around these efforts, all are welcome to join.
LHDs can also access other FASD resources through our project webpage and get in touch with our partners at CHSC. To learn more or to get involved in the Partners Network, join our listserv via the project webpage or email [email protected].
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