America has an opioid problem and more mothers are struggling with sobriety.

“At the height of my addiction, I could take anywhere from 20 or 30 Percocets a day if I had them,” said Amanda Martin, who’s opioid addiction started shortly after the death of a child.

“My third born son died shortly after he was born and that just made a huge impact on me,” Martin said.

During her fourth and fifth pregnancies, Martin, a former nurse, started taking pain pills which she says impacted her other children’s health.

“They both had delayed speech patterns,” she said. “My youngest son that I took the most opiates with, he did have some developmental delays.”

Martin’s opioid addiction eventually led to heroin use and ultimately put her in jail.

New research shows during the past two decades, four times as many pregnant women are struggling with opioid use disorder and almost eight times as many infants are diagnosed with opioid withdrawal.

Now, health experts say that many are having a hard time getting proper treatment.

“Hospitals are providing variable care,” said Stephen Patrick, MD, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy. "And we see systems in communities really stretched, everything from local community hospitals to the child welfare system."

He says every 15 minutes in America, an infant is born having an opioid withdrawal, which accounts for half a billion dollars in healthcare expenditures nationwide.

“This year it looks like we’re on record pace once again to have to have a record-number of opioid overdoses,” Patrick said.

While the COVID-19 crisis has made it harder for pregnant women to get into treatment, Patrick says this is a fixable problem, but that America currently lacks to funding and political will to change it.

“As we start to usher in a new administration, I really hope the unique needs of pregnant women and infants affected by the opioid crisis are front and center,” he said.

More help is something Martin agrees with, especially during the COVID crisis.

“We see a lot of people coming in that are relapsing just simply because of the pandemic,” said Martin.

Now three-and-a-half years sober, Martin is working as a recovery coach for Vertava Health in Mississippi and encouraging pregnant moms battling opioid addiction to get help, no matter how hard it may be.

“There’s help out there,” she said. “And there’s non-judgmental places that you can come and you can get your whole life together and never have to live that way.”

CINCINNATI —

Both Cincinnati police and fire departments are short on staff, as they try to find new ways to recruit and get people interested in public service.

The departments said fewer people are applying as the retirement rate stays steady, and they also said going from hired to on the streets takes time.

Cincinnati police officers investigate everything from murders to thefts and car crashes, but the department could use more people on patrol.

"We're probably down about 150 officers right now and the attrition rate doesn't seem to be slowing. So, we have officers that are retiring every day," Sgt. Dwayne Wilson said.

Cincinnati firefighters and paramedics are also always on the move battling fires, helping people with medical emergencies and working in the community.

"We have 193 firefighters that have to be in each seat every day and we're able to maintain that with firefighters on overtime," Fire Chief Michael Washington said.

CFD is short 73 firefighters right now and fewer people are applying, according to Washington.

"Our last fire recruit drive, we had roughly about 3,300 people sign up and we actually had about 1,200 show up for the actual written test," he said.

Wilson, who leads recruiting for CPD, agrees.

"Twenty-five and a half years ago, there was probably about 7,000 people that signed up for 100 spots and you know, this last test we had 2,200 that signed up for 55 spots but only 572 showed up to take the test," he said.

It's a sharp change.

Wilson said the policing profession has been tarnished, tapering off some interest. But he also said it's an opportunity to show police can do better.

"This isn't an 'a-ha' moment for anybody, you know, across the country police departments are having the same issues. Officers are retiring, you know, COVID, for a multitude of other reasons just come toward the end of their careers," Wilson said.

He also said Cincinnati police are working to speed up the process to get recruits into the police academy in six to eight months, rather than nine to 12.

Washington believes the pandemic is a factor but also said the younger generations are drawn elsewhere for work.

"They're interested in other things. YouTubing and influencers or things like that. So, I don't think we're any different than any other industry, but it is something that's alarming to us right now," he said.

To fill the gap, he said CFD has already reached 46 percent of its fiscal year overtime budget.

That budget only started in July. Both said there is promise in those who want to serve.

"Because of the last summer or last two summers, with the civil unrest that they've seen around the country and they want to be a part of making a difference," Wilson said.

They said for now, operations are not affected.

Washington said the sign-ups for CFD have already begun and won't be offered again for a few years. He said the testing process leads to an eligibility list and officials choose people off that list to fill a fire recruit class for about two years.

He also said it takes a couple of years to progress from testing to hired to on the street working.

Washington said at the same time, the department loses anywhere from 40 to 55 firefighters a year through retirement and other means.

He told WLWT that 31 firefighters have exited the department so far this year.

Meanwhile, CFD has a recruit class of 35 graduating in November, according to Washington.

"That will provide some relief, but we will still be about 20 firefighters short daily and there's another fire recruit class that will be started in February of 2022, of 40 additional fire recruits," he said.

Cincinnati police said a recruit class is happening now and a lateral class is next.

They hope to have nearly 60 new officers at the start of 2022.

"We're up against some stiff competition with other businesses that are able to take people out of college, give them a signing bonus and give them a job. We really can't do that because of the process that we have to go through," Wilson said.

CPD also has sign-ups happening through Oct. 31 and tests starting in November.

The department hopes to seat a class of 55 between June and July 2022, according to Wilson.

Cincinnati police will host a community forum at District Three on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. for anyone interested in becoming a police officer.

There, people can find out about the process, the timeline, and ask any questions they may have.