Vanderbilt University Medical Center has launched SHINE (Support and Healing for Infants with Neonatal Exposures), a new initiative providing neurodevelopmental care for infants and young children exposed to opioids in utero, addressing an escalating health challenge posed by the opioid crisis.
SHINE originated from the success of the Firefly Program, established in 2021 to offer expanded, multidisciplinary outpatient clinical care spanning obstetrics, pediatrics, and psychiatry that includes neurodevelopmental monitoring of infants from birth to 12 months. The Firefly Program was created after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, through the Maternal Opioid Misuse model in partnership with TennCare, provided funding for services. Since 2011, Vanderbilt has provided services for women with substance use disorder and their children.
The new SHINE program clinic, housed within Vanderbilt Children’s Primary Care One Hundred Oaks, supports children from birth to 6 years old. According to Neill Broderick, PhD, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, “This program focuses on the prevention and early detection of developmental delays and differences, given that opioid exposure places these children at higher risk.” Broderick explained that children with intrauterine opioid exposure may experience differences in nervous system development, including sensory integration differences, emotional and behavioral dysregulation, and learning differences.
The program offers multiple pathways to receive care. For some patients, neurodevelopmental care is embedded within the medical home and provided during well-child checkups. Neurodevelopmental consultation is also available for ongoing developmental monitoring and specific developmental concerns. The SHINE program collaborates with the Firefly Program to streamline pediatric care with the mother’s care.
SHINE is funded through a $2.3 million community grant from the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council, which was created in 2021 to determine distribution of funds from opioid-related lawsuits. The three-year funding allows Broderick’s team to work in collaboration with general pediatrics, pediatric rehabilitation services including physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and the Firefly Program. Broderick emphasized the importance of early intervention: “We want to help patients and caregivers build resiliency and early relational health. The more we can intervene, and the earlier we can do so, the more impact we can have on the brain’s early plasticity.” The program can be reached at 615-875-7879.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://news.vumc.org/2025/04/21/neurodevelopmental-care-initiative-supports-infants-and-young-children-exposed-to-opioids-in-utero/