Butler County Children Services

COUNTY TO TEST FOR GIVING BIRTH WHILE ON ILLEGAL DRUGS

New Policy Was Initiated After Letter From Middletown Regional
Hospital Social Workers.

HAMILTON - Butler County commissioners agreed Monday that Ohio does
too little to ensure that children born to drug-addicted mothers are
going home to a safe environment.

They passed a resolution directing Butler County Children Services to
conduct a full investigation of the home life of any mother with
illegal drugs in her system at childbirth.

State guidelines adopted in February call for an investigation only
if drugs are found in the newborn's body, or if the child shows signs
of withdrawal.

"National and local statistics show that substance abuse is a
contributing factor in three out of four cases of child abuse," said
Commissioner Charles Furmon. "This is simply common sense if we want
to protect children."

The new policy was inspired by a letter from social workers Leslie
Kurtz, Melissa Smith and Amy McKenna at Middletown Regional
Hospital's Maternal Child Health Center. It expresses the frustration
of doctors and social workers who have a hard time getting usable
urine samples from newborns.

Of at least eight mothers who tested positive for drug use at
delivery since February, only two were referred to Children Services
because they had open cases, according to the letter.

As for the other six, "the health and well being of these infants is
unknown to us," the letter stated.

"It appears that the current ... process is not protecting the
children of drug users and is putting them in potential danger of
abuse and neglect," the letter concluded.

Commissioners said a recently awarded $2.5 million federal grant will
help implement the new rule through a program that helps treat
drug-addicted parents and reunite them with their children.

The county sent a copy of its resolution to the Ohio Department of
Job and Family Services, recommending the local rule be adopted statewide.