Number Of Drug-Exposed Infants Born Per Year Nearly Tripled In California Over A Decade
Nearly 50,000 drug-exposed infants have been born in California since 2000, and the initial extra cost to save these newborns ranges from $159,000 to $238,000 per child, according to research from Stanford University.
Orange County Register:
Born On Drugs: Babies From Addicted Moms Are Increasing At An Alarming Rate In California
California’s entire approach to a problem that extends far beyond the hospital doors — to the fast-growing population of babies born exposed to opiates and other drugs. ... Over the course of the generation-spanning “crack babies” to “heroin babies,” California and the nation have made legal and philosophical shifts, removing fewer drug-exposed children from their parents’ care and working harder to make fractured families whole again before terminating parental rights and putting children up for adoption.
But the process is complex, time-consuming and frequently frustrating, involving many moving parts and a shifting cast of characters — governmental and otherwise — whose judgments may be in direct conflict. (Sforza, 12/28)
In other public health news —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County To Explore Ballot Measure To Bolster Mental Health And Homeless Services
Sonoma County officials have begun exploring the possibility of crafting a ballot measure that would generate tax revenue for mental health and homeless services. The move comes at a time when the county’s homeless population is again on the rise and as health services officials grapple with significant financial strains that federal and state funds can’t resolve. ...The county’s Health Services Department is among the largest local government agencies, with an annual budget of $232 million. The division overseeing mental health and drug abuse treatment accounts for about 40 percent of the spending. Most of the division is funded through Medi-Cal, the state agency that oversees health benefits for low-income and disabled Californians. (Espinoza, 12/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Search And Rescue Volunteers Carry Out Difficult Task Of Finding Wildfire Victims
The hundreds of search and rescue volunteers who responded to the Camp Fire — and many others involved each year in California’s natural disasters and mass tragedies — come from diverse backgrounds, including teachers, doctors, city employees and retired law enforcement professionals. When the Camp Fire started, they took time off from their day jobs to carry out one of the most difficult tasks in the fire zone: finding victims. (Ravani, 1/2)
KPBS:
Safety Concerns Mount As Edison Awaits NCR's OK To Bury Radioactive Waste
Southern California Edison wants to resume burying nuclear waste at San Onofre in January. But, as more details emerge about the near-miss accident at the plant last summer, opposition is mounting, and it’s not just from anti-nuclear activists. (St John, 1/2)