New York City health officials have identified overdose as the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths, prompting a new City Council measure aimed at reversing this dangerous trend. In 2021, overdoses caused 20 of the city’s 58 pregnancy-related deaths—more than one-third of such deaths that year.
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens and is sponsoring the bill, said, “This is something that the city can invest in. We can prevent this.” The proposed measure focuses on the overlap between maternal mortality and the opioid crisis.
It would require the Health Department to develop an educational campaign for healthcare providers on treating opioid use disorder during and after pregnancy. The bill also seeks to expand access to naloxone, a life-saving overdose reversal drug, at local health centers.
Dr. Leah Habersham of Mount Sinai, who works directly with pregnant people facing substance use disorders, emphasizes that overdose deaths during pregnancy and postpartum are preventable.
She advocates for destigmatizing addiction and treating it as a medical condition. Her Bridge Program combines prenatal care with addiction treatment, including medications like methadone to prevent withdrawal symptoms that can harm both mother and baby.
Many pregnant patients with substance use disorders face stigma and fear, which can prevent them from seeking help. The risk of overdose remains high up to a year after delivery. Dr. Habersham notes that pregnancy often motivates patients to seek treatment—for their baby’s health and their own.
The city’s Health Department has called medications for opioid use disorder “lifesaving” and encourages providers to discuss treatment options early. Breastfeeding is also recommended postpartum to reduce risks like neonatal abstinence syndrome.
The rise in overdose deaths during pregnancy—from nine in 2020 to 20 in 2021—is linked to pandemic isolation and fentanyl contamination in drugs. Gutiérrez hopes the new educational campaign will help reduce these deaths and address racial disparities in maternal health, especially among Black New Yorkers.
