METH HITS HOME

Innocent children are being burned and blistered by chemicals in the
carpets they crawl on, the clothes they wear and the toys they play with.

They are being taken away from their families to get them out of the
methamphetamine labs being run in their homes.

Meth is destroying families. It is straining the resources of
Tennessee's medical and dental organizations.

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, trauma
patients who use meth are likely to incur medical costs $4,000 higher
than the general population.

Dr. David Lynn, emergency room physician at the University of
Tennessee Medical Center, said the most important point he can
emphasize is that meth usage "is more common than we realize."

Lynn said most patients who use meth -- people likely to generate
much higher medical bills -- generally do not have medical insurance.

Lynn said meth users incur greater hospital costs because the drug
debilitates the body.

"There is muscle loss; people are frail and in pretty poor shape when
they come in to us," Lynn said. "It is more difficult for them to
recover, and it takes more time for them to recover."

Another big concern of Lynn's: the children. When hospital personnel
believe a child has been exposed to a meth lab or is neglected by
parents who use meth, there are specific steps the hospital staff
must take to determine the health status of the child.

Children living in a home where meth is produced are exposed to a
multitude of hazardous chemicals. Lynn said those children usually
have an odor on their clothing from the chemicals and abnormally high
blood pressure, usually resulting from the pseudoephedrine used to make meth.

Medical personnel look for respiratory problems in these children and
perform blood tests to make sure the liver and kidneys are healthy
because the chemicals affect those areas. Lynn said another common
find on children exposed to home meth labs are blisters from the chemicals.

In a survey polling 500 sheriff's offices in 45 states, the National
Association of Counties found that 40 percent of child welfare
officials surveyed reported methamphetamine has led to an increase in
the number of children removed from their homes.

Trudy Hughes, director of the Blount County Children Advocacy Center,
said the center assists in cases where children are involved in
meth-related incidents.

Hughes said she most commonly sees neglect issues with children
involved in these incidents. Basic health and personal care, as well
as nutritional, emotional and social needs, are neglected.

"Parents or family members that are addicted to meth only care about
supporting their own addiction," Hughes said. "Unfortunately, the
focus isn't anywhere on raising their children -- they are focusing
on the drug."

The Children Advocacy Center assists in many ways during meth-related
incidents that involve children, Hughes said. The center helps the
children get everything they need while they transition from their
home to the Department of Children's Services.

"If they've had to leave all of their toys and all of their clothing
in a home due to meth exposure, we help to make sure they get those
things," Hughes said.

It sometimes takes several hours after children are taken from their
homes for the Department of Children's Services to find a place for
them to go. Hughes said the advocacy center is designed to be
child-friendly and to be homelike for the transition period.

"They get comfortable knowing the staff and share what they have seen
and what they have been exposed to so we as a team can meet their needs."

The advocacy center helps in long-term situations by providing
therapy and counseling for children and their families who have been
in meth-related situations.

The center is also equipped to handle non-emergency related injuries
and perform medical exams to determine if a child has been sexually abused.

In 2005, Gov. Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee General Assembly
allocated $500,000 for child advocacy centers to support expanded
services to drug-exposed children.

Hughes said the number of children they receive is too low to be
eligible for the funding, but if there is an increased need in Blount
County, they will be able to reapply for the money.

The hope of child-care advocates across Tennessee is that the need
for the money dries up soon -- that every home, every toy, every
child be free from the scourge of methamphetamine.

If you have any information on meth activity, contact: Mike Flynn,
Blount County District Attorney General, 942 E. Lamar Alexander
Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Phone number is (865) 273-5600. Email
address is mflynn@blounttn.org. Or call the Fifth Judicial Drug Task
Force, phone number: (865) 977-7190 or (865) 977-7266