During the month of October, Tennessee is observing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Awareness Month. Over the last decade, opioid use in the United States and Tennessee has rapidly increased, causing an alarming number of babies born with NAS (991 babies in TN born with NAS in 2016), a set of withdrawal symptoms (fever, seizures, blotchy skin, continuous crying, rapid breathing, respiratory problems, and extreme sensitivity to light and sounds) a newborn may experience as a result of prenatal exposure to prescription drugs or heroin. To raise awareness about NAS in our community, we are asking individuals to wear Pearls and Bowties for Babies on Friday, October 6.