Prenatal Substance Use and Improving Family Health

Data Partner(s):

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment – Vital Records
Colorado Department of Human Services – Office of Children, Youth, and Families
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (anticipated in phase II)

Project Summary

In 2019, the Colorado state legislature passed Senate Bill 19-228 to address the opioid crisis and authorized a LINC project focused on understanding the prevalence of perinatal substance exposure and identifying prevention opportunities within and outside of healthcare systems. This demand for knowledge refocused the LINC leadership team’s energy toward addressing a common data sharing barrier—utilizing information on substance use and treatment for research and evaluation purposes without disclosing sensitive personal information. The LINC team sought and received guidance from the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, on how LINC can receive such data for approved projects. LINC is now implementing this guidance and is able to onboard data partners who would like to better understand issues related to substance use and prevention.