'CRACK BABY' CASES NEARLY DOUBLE AT SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Cases of newborn babies being treated for substance exposure - most often
cocaine - have nearly doubled at Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) this year.
Thirty-two infants were transferred to the hospital's special-care nursery
from January through October after it was determined their mothers had used
drugs during pregnancy.

That's up from just 18 over the same period last year, despite the fact
that the total number of births stayed about the same at 2,700.

Dr. Douglas Still, an obstetrician at SMH, said doctors are asking pregnant
women about their drug use more routinely than they used to, which would
account for some of the increase.

"Whether there is an absolute increase, or if it's just because we're
looking for it... it's probably a little of both," he said.

Most women are concerned enough about their child's welfare to cooperate
with the questioning, he said.

"I talk to a lot of women who are desperately trying," he said. "They'll
fall off the wagon, and then come back."

Still said cocaine, most often the smoked version known as crack, is
usually the "drug of choice." Heroin and alcohol are also prevalent.

Effects of the newborns' exposure can range from mild and temporary to
severe, he said. Irritability and hyperactivity are the most common
symptoms at birth. In the longer term, especially with cocaine exposure,
children can suffer chronic learning disorders, he said.

While the number of cases is on the rise, the special-care nursery where
the newborns are treated may not get the upgrade planned for it.

The B.C. government is reviewing a previous decision to designate the
Surrey Memorial facility a so-called Level 3 nursery, which would increase
the number of beds from 12 to 18 and allow for more specialized treatment
of ailing infants.

The review was announced in August, just a few weeks before the six new
beds were supposed to open, Surrey health-care administrator Loretta
Solomon said.

The hospital has trained staff and acquired advanced equipment, such as
monitors and incubators, in anticipation of the upgrade. Officials now have
to wait until the spring to find out if it will get operating funding. "We
have a state-of-the-art nursery ready to go," Solomon said. "It's not being
used to the extent it could be used.

"We often have up to 18 or 19 babies in there. It definitely results in
overcrowding."

Nevertheless, Solomon said she was confident the government would
eventually approve going ahead with the upgrade.