New laws providing funding for centers that specialize in caring for babies who are born addicted to drugs could be on the books as soon as next week. 

So far, there are only two centers in the entire Nation.

Last year  Mahoning County saw more than 100 babies born addicted. 

Experts say there is a gap in services that these specialized centers could help fill. 

Patricia Sweeney, Mahoning County Health Commissioner, told 21 News, "Exposure to any type of substance during pregnancy can really impact the health of the child, and we have a dramatically high infant mortality rate in Mahoning County."

Which is why Senator Sherrod Brown is confident that the CRIB act will help- allowing specialized residential pediatric recovery centers to receive Medicaid funding. 

Senator Brown said, "They need a different kind of care. The bright lights and the noise of a typical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are problematic for the baby. It also costs four to five times as much being in a traditional intensive care unit than in one of these facilities." 

The centers provide round-the-clock care to babies born addicted, and in one case, they even help the mom find job training or go through parenting classes. 

However, for those in the in the Valley, these facilities don't exist yet. 
 

Senator Brown continued, "There are only two in the country. We hope to replicate these centers in the Mahoning Valley and all across the nation. It will likely mean there are babies that can live healthier productive lives."

The bill is expected to get approval in the Senate next week. But from there it will be up to the community to make the case for a center. 

Don Kline, Mercy Health President, and CEO told 21 News, "It's not just legislative, it's individual involvement. We need everything working."