METH HAS MAJOR IMPACT ON FAMILIES, CHILDREN

James Binnicker, who supervises the child protective unit at Gordon
County's Department of Family and Children Services, said the problem
of meth is reaching into homes and getting worse.

His unit, made up of three investigators and two case workers,
investigates child abuse and neglect to determine if a child should
remain in the home or go to foster care and how to reduce the risk of
abuse and neglect.

"We average about 25-30 new investigations a month," said Binnicker,
who added 75 percent are drug-related.

He said that for roughly every 50 cases DFACS investigates, 40 will be
drug related, and 35 of those would involve methamphetamines.

"There's not many where it's just marijuana or alcohol," he
said.

Binnicker said he sees several different scenarios where meth is
involved.

Sometimes the parent tries to satisfy the addiction and remain a
caregiver to their children.

"A percentage are doing it in the presence of children and continue to
try to be the caregiver, but they get frustrated and ill-tempered when
they don't get (meth) and take it out on whoever is around," he said.

The most serious cases are where the children are being deprived of
basic needs, such as food and shelter, he said.

"I've seen cases of neglect where parents stay awake for days and then
sleep so hard, they don't hear their small children crying," he said.

That's when parents often leave the children with relatives while they
go to support their addiction.

"People would be surprised at how many relatives call us," said
Binnicker. "About 50 percent of our calls come from them."

Binnicker said about 5 percent of DFACS' calls come from law
enforcement officials when they make an arrest and children are
present, and about 45 percent come from the school system.

"They identify a change in the child, like children starting to move
around," he said.

"Most cases there are single mothers with live-in boyfriends, but more
disturbing is the mom going to live with different men all the time,"
said Binnicker. "They are dependent on the dealer."

Although he said DFACS never wants to remove children if it can be
helped, often in that case, it's necessary.

"Those usually require foster care because it's more than a drug
issue," he said.

Binnicker said the effects of meth, compared to other drugs is so
devastating, that it has changed the way DFACS handles these cases.

"We used to work with families for months before seeking court
assistance, but we can't do that with meth," he said. "Because the
addiction of meth is strong and it's so cheap, they do it
continuously." He said once meth is identified as the drug, DFACS
immediately seeks court assistance, and it has made a difference.

"We see greater success. They may not do it for just me but the court
provides the leverage we need," Binnicker said, adding that juvenile
court has supported DFACS' efforts, granting orders for drug
screening, assessments, parenting classes, stable homes, and
employment. "We see the difference with the removal or threat of
removal of the children," said Binnicker.

But unlike the drug that sets off this chain of events, the costs to
taxpayers are not cheap.

An initial investigation takes about 10 hours of work at about $15 per
hour. So an estimate of getting the process started is about $150, but
the cost doesn't stop there.

If it gets more detailed - if the parents are trying to keep the kids,
it can range from $2,000 to $3,000 per month in the initial month,
said Binnicker.

"That doesn't get into court costs, judges, or attorneys," he
said.

"We also use a program called First Placement, Best Placement, which
costs about $1,400," said Binnicker.

The program is a detailed 30-day assessment that every child who comes
through foster care receives.

A private company goes through medical and school records, does
psychological evaluations, and thorough family assessment. The team
who does the assessment then brings all the information to DFACS and
makes a recommendation as to where the child or children need to be.

"It's a tremendous program for us," said Binnicker. One of the biggest
obstacles they face is the power meth seems to have over its addicts.

Binnicker said random drug testing is required, but often they will
have parents who test positive one week and then again the next. The
drug stays in the system for 72 hours.

"They are having trouble getting off without assistance," he said.
"Very few can do it on their own."

Some of the most difficult cases that are on the rise are pregnant
women using meth, said Binnicker.

"We're seeing an increase - one to two a month where the mother has
tested positive for meth at birth - meaning she's used it within 72
hours," he said.

In these cases, DFACS immediately takes custody of the infant, but
instead of being sent to a foster home, the baby is sent to neo-natal
intensive care, usually at T.C. Thompson in Chattanooga, or Erlanger
in Atlanta for treatment.

John Bailey, an obstetrician/gynecologist at A Place for Women in
Calhoun, said he learned about the effects of meth on pregnant women
and their babies during his residency.

"That short time of ecstasy can have long term effects," he
said.

During the first trimester, meth use can lead to an increased chance
of miscarriage, and using the drug during the second and third
trimesters can lead to low-birth weight, premature labor, physical
deformities, or even strokes.

"Because it's a stimulant and whatever the mother does, infants can
have hypertension, or high blood pressure," said Bailey. "I've seen
infants having strokes."

Bailey said in a normal pregnancy, there is a one to two percent
chance of congenital birth defects. Cocaine increased that percentage
four times, but meth increased it about six times.

Missing limbs, clubfeet, irritability and poor brain development can
occur with meth use. Malformed kidneys and even a condition where the
intestines stay outside of the body, known as gastroschisis and spinal
bifida, where the spine doesn't fully develop around the spinal cord
can also happen.

"The hospital here is pretty limited as to what they can do in that
case," said Bailey, adding the babies are stabilized and sent to
another hospital, usually T.C. Thompson in Chattanooga.

LuAnn Hall, the neonatal clinical specialist at T.C. Thompson said the
effects of meth are devastating to newborns.

"They come from mom - where it was dark and quiet and warm. Birth
itself is pretty traumatic for them," she said. But for a
meth-addicted infant, it's horrible.

"They can't handle things - they need it dark and quiet and swaddled
because they need that sense of security," she said.

"If mom has been taking it, they've been getting it. They are addicted
to it too, probably more so because they don't require as much to get
hooked," she said.

"It's nice to know when they are taking it because many times, the
babies don't stay very long and symptoms don't appear until after
they've gone home. Sending a baby going through withdrawals home with
an addict, that's a setup for disaster," she said. "The mother can't
handle it - she doesn't have patience or tolerance and it leads to
abuse or neglect."

Bailey said often babies born addicted to meth, or other drugs are
"difficult."

"They can be very touch sensitive and cry," he said. Hall said the
hospital uses the Fennigan test to determine how severe the
withdrawals are for the infant. If severe enough, the infants may be
put on Valium or even morphine. "These kids can have pretty rough
symptoms," she said. The cost to taxpayers can be rough, too, since
DFACS takes custody of the infants.

Hall said bed space alone in T.C. Thompson's neonatal intensive care
unit was about $1,200 per day.

"That doesn't include the doctor, the tests, or the medications. It's
just the bed," she said.

She said studies have shown meth passing through breast milk has even
caused death in some cases.

In her studies, she's learned that the residue from meth labs can
linger in carpet and curtains and make children sick even if the lab
is no longer there.