SPOKANE, Wash. – Lawmakers in Olympia are set to discuss a new bill that could provide sustainable funding for places like Maddie’s Place in Spokane. This initiative aims to support long-term financial models for pediatric recovery centers.
Maddie’s Place is one of the few centers in the United States specializing in treating Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, where infants are born drug-dependent. The nonprofit offers 24-hour care and seeks to secure funding through the proposed bill.
The goal of Senate Bill 6094 is to fund comprehensive care for both infants and their parents. If passed, the state plans to cover these pediatric recovery centers through Medicaid by 2027. In the interim, a pilot program will use opioid settlement funds for continued support.
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Health Care Authority will collaborate to create a bundled payment system for family-centered care, including parents.
Shaun Cross, President and CEO of Maddie’s Place, shared his thoughts on the financial benefits of this initiative.
“For people who are really just counting nickels and stuff…this is far less expensive than where we are treating these infants now, which is in the hospital NICU at 2,000…2,500 dollars a day, paid by Medicaid, paid by taxpayers,” Cross said.
Cross and others are scheduled to testify in favor of the bill on Friday morning. Though the bill is new and lacks public opposition, lawmakers are considering the budget deficit as they discuss this funding concept.
