Project SCOPE

Supporting Children of the OPioid Epidemic

Project SCOPE: Supporting Children of the OPioid Epidemic, is a training initiative intended to identify and train practitioners in current and emerging knowledge and evidence-based promising practices in screening, monitoring, and care for children diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), or who are suspected of being impacted by opioid use and related trauma exposure.

WIND has partnered with the Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for this project and has developed an ECHO^TM network for implementation of practices to support children and families impacted by opioid misuse. Join the network at:

ECHO: Project SCOPE

The Nisonger Center and University of Cincinnati are providing the curriculum that will include current research on brain development, developmental outcomes of prenatal exposure to opioid and other substances, trauma informed care, provider secondary trauma stress and strategies to support caregivers. Through the piloting of the curriculum and interdisciplinary training model, this initiative is intended to link research to practical application in local communities, improve outcomes, provide opportunities to share knowledge and findings with national networks and federal agencies, and to provide recommendations for future interventions.

In addition, the University of Cincinnati's Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCCEDD) and the Nisonger Center has created a two-hour, online training to provide early childhood educators/care providers introductory information on the following topics:

current status of the opiate epidemic
biology of addiction
neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and other developmental outcomes of prenatal exposures
trauma-informed care
information on practices to implement when concerns arise with a child’s development

Because this training is a collaborative effort between the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs at Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University and University of Cincinnati’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCCEDD), some information is Ohio-specific. To receive continuing education credit in Ohio or a certificate of completion, please contact ActEarlyOhio@cchmc.org

For more information about Project: SCOPE please contact:

Sandy Root-Ellledge, Executive Director - (307) 766-2764

Canyon Hardesty, Director of Community Education, Training and Services - (307) 766-5003

Eric Moody, Director of Research and Evaluation - (307) 399-3168