At one hospital in Indianapolis, doctors started to try to intervene and connect overdose patients with treatment instead of simply discharging them.

If a baby is born with traces of illicit drugs in its system, Child Protective Services will likely start an investigation.

NPR and Side Effects Public Media have identified at least eight courts out of the several dozen in Indiana that say they only allow a treatment from drugmaker Alkermes.

Doctors who can prescribe a medication for opioid addiction, and accept Medicaid, are already scarce. But even fewer will treat pregnant women. At this most vulnerable time, when both mother's and baby's lives are at stake, some doctors even drop their patients.

Even though most insurers cover the medicine women need to avoid withdrawal while pregnant, they require prior authorizations which can be riddled with bureaucratic hold-ups and clerical errors.

More than a quarter of people surveyed by researchers at IUPUI said they didn't call 911 at the scene of an overdose for fear of arrest.

The rate of opioid related admissions to Indiana hospitals and emergency departments has increased dramatically over the past 10 years.

Legislators have proposed bills that would help fund and establish places to help pregnant mothers addicted to opioids and their children born dependent.

The proposal would apply to first time adult patients and children and would also allow people to only have a portion of their prescription filled.

The Governor's Drug Task Force recently wrapped up work with a final report that outlines an aggressive fight against opioid addiction in Indiana.