Report: Psychotropic Drugs Overused For Foster Children In Southern California
The state auditor said the medication is over prescribed without required parental or court approval. Also, KQED looks at the difficulties in finding mental health care.
KPCC:
There's Not Enough Oversight Of Psychotropic Prescriptions For Foster Kids
Some children in foster care in Southern California are receiving high doses of psychotropic medications without follow-up care, and without required parental or court approval, a report by the California State Auditor revealed Tuesday. The agency pulled 80 case files from child welfare departments in four counties, including Los Angeles and Riverside, and found ongoing problems with how the drugs are handled. In some cases, children received medications, but no known counseling. In others, dosages were higher than recommended. Looking at overall state data, auditors found 65 percent of children were prescribed at least one medication without legally required court approval. (Palta, 8/23)
Capital Public Radio:
California Foster Children Overprescribed Psychotropic Drugs
The report says 12 percent of California's foster children received 96,000 Medi-Cal-paid prescriptions for psychotropic drugs between 2014 and 2015, which would amount to 10 prescriptions per child per year. The audit also found the California Department of Social Services and the Department of Health Care Services were unable to completely identify which foster children were prescribed the medications. (Johnson, 8/24)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Foster Children Given Too Many Psychotropic Drugs, Report Finds
Sonoma County does not adequately monitor the use of psychotropic drugs among local foster youth, raising the possibility the county may be inappropriately medicating children or over-prescribing the mind-altering medications, according to a report released Tuesday by the California Auditor’s Office. County officials, however, strongly questioned some of the findings and insisted state auditors reviewed only limited documentation of the care foster youth received. The state did not review such documents as patient medical records and foster placement records, officials said. (Espinoza, 8/23)
KQED:
Sorry, The Therapist Can't See You — Not Now, Not Anytime Soon
More than 43 million Americans have depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition. But more than half never get help. Recent laws were supposed to make it easier for Californians to access treatment, but many still face roadblocks, even with insurance. In this special series by KQED's The California Report and State of Health we travel across the state to find out why it’s so difficult to get mental health care. (Dembosky, 8/23)