Component cthe fasd experience: a national resource and champions collaborative - prenatal alcohol exposure is a leading preventable cause of developmental disabilities and birth defects

IT can result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (fasds), an umbrella term for the range of physical, mental, and neurodevelopmental effects that can occur in an individual exposed to alcohol before birth. Alcohol use in pregnancy is a critical public health concern as 1 in 7 pregnant adults report alcohol use and 1 in 20 report binge drinking. Estimates are that as many as 1 in 20 school age children in the U.S. Have fasds. Fasd united, a public health nonprofit organization and the national voice on fasds, is collaborating with the centers for disease control and prevention and healthcare and non-clinical professionals to implement national partnerships to address prenatal alcohol and other substance use and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The partnership develops and implements activities in multiple strategic domains that aim to reduce the use of alcohol and other substances during pregnancy and increase access to evidence-based care and mental health services and improve the quality of life for pregnant persons using alcohol and other substances and for families living with fasds. Key strategies include 1) a cohesive, multidisciplinary champions network, 2) the development and dissemination of messaging through national and regional systems using evidence-based communications, 3) the strengthening of state and local capacity to link clinical and public health partners to reach affected populations with programs and practices, and 4) the integration of the lived experiences of families affected by alcohol and other substance use during pregnancy and fasds to inform accurate and consistent messaging. Through the fasd experience: a champions and resource center, fasd united contributes to the project by engaging with individuals, families, and communities affected by prenatal alcohol and other substance use and individuals with fasds and coordinating efforts across and between all project components to share information and resources. Fasd united maintains a national resource directory, disseminates information through its 33-member affiliate network, operates a resource center and family navigator to assist families in need of emotional support and medical, behavioral health and non-clinical services, and guides the fasd experience, a speakers bureau of fasd self-advocates and family members who give voice to the lived experience. Fasd united disseminates project activities beyond the fasds community to the child welfare system, disability rights network, alcohol control jurisdictions, and state offices for the prevention of developmental disabilities.