Thirteen Medicaid-eligible infants born in Schuylkill County in 2014 were diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, according to data from the state Department of Human Services.
In 2010 and 2011, there were five children each year, nine in 2012 and 11 in 2013, DHS data show. That is just a small number of the 1,970 who were born and diagnosed statewide with that condition in 2014, an increase from 1,080 in 2010, the data show.
NAS occurs in newborns who are exposed to addictive opiate drugs in the womb. Children who have the condition can exhibit seizures, trembling, excessive crying, rapid breathing, slow weight gain and other symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Seeking to bring attention to this topic, the Center for Children’s Justice sent a letter March 30 to Gov. Tom Wolf and six legislative leaders. Ten county coroners, the executive director of CASA Youth Advocates Inc., Office of Victim Advocate, Center for Children’s Justice, the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association and others signed the letter.
Cathleen Palm, founder of the Center for Children’s Justice, a Berks County nonprofit that advocates community responsibility for children’s wellbeing, said the public should be made more aware of how drug use affects children. As of Saturday, Palm had not received a reply from those who were sent the letter. She said the letter was sent to those the organization has had correspondence with in the past and to others. The nonprofit filed a Right–To-Know request for the information from DHS in September 2015, Palm said. Susan M. Shanaman, solicitor with the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association, said the letter was forwarded to all coroners in the state. She said the association said this was something they could support. Individual coroners could also decide to sign their names individually.
Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David J. Moylan III is in support of the task force, although he did not sign his name.
“These are our most helpless members of society and we need to protect them,” he said Saturday.
Moylan said he does not recall receiving a letter but that doesn’t mean one was not sent to the coroner’s office. He plans on calling the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association to see how he can help.
The letter calls for a time-limited task force to focus on the effect that overdoses linked to heroin and prescription drugs have on children. The task force should prioritize prevention of infants exposed to drugs, an increased focus on pregnant women and mothers who are striving to recover from addiction and promote the health, safety and permanency of substance-exposed infants and other young children at risk of child abuse and neglect or placement in foster care due to parental alcohol and drug use.
The letter came about after a March 29 roundtable discussion in Bucks County on the topic.
Minersville police Chief Michael Combs said the task force is “an excellent idea.” Continued effort needs to occur to combat the heroin and prescription drug abuse situation in the county and nation.
“It’s a tragedy, especially for the child,” Combs said.
A couple months ago, the Minersville police noticed a residence where syringes were within plain view of children.
“Syringes were scattered all around the home,” Combs said. He added that some were near the children’s toys.
Schuylkill County Children & Youth took the three young children, Combs said. He said the woman was on heroin, allegedly.
“It’s a tragedy that continues to grow,” he said.
There are programs to help people but for some it is not enough.
Combs said young children need a fighting chance to succeed in life.
“We are talking about the future here,” Combs said.