Treating the tiniest addicts

"An epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse has led to another growing problem -- newborns exposed to the addictive drugs their mothers use.

At the Catholic Health System in Buffalo, which operates the state's largest methadone clinic outside of New York City, physicians used to see one to three babies a month with symptoms of withdrawal from narcotic pain pills. Now, the number approaches 10 a month, said Dr. Paul Updike, director of chemical dependency at Sisters Hospital.

The number of cases has grown enough that the hospital network is reorganizing services to standardize the care of addicted moms-to-be and their newborns."

Also included in this article you read about a young mothers journey through her addiction process, to realizing she was pregnant and receiving help to achieve a non-addict lifestyle. While taking care of her young infant.

To read more and find more information about this growing academic:

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article439798.ece

Review and Updating Sought for Nation’s Foster Care System

"State and local governments need culturally appropriate strategies to ensure positive outcomes for children and families of color in the foster care system, according to a panel of child welfare experts.The recommendations came at a workshop during the America Healing conference sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation to examine strategies on how to address health, education, political and economic well-being issues for children.

Foster care “is not good for any child,” said Antoinette Malveaux, managing director of Casey Family Programs."

Reported by Jackie Jones from BlackAmericaWeb.com, she talks about the struggles and the hardships that minority children like African Americans face while going through the foster care system that is in place right now.
A new program that is being developed and hopefully soon to be intergated is a ten-point plan designed by Sondra Jackson,the Black Administration in Child Welfare's organization executive, which is designed to address the needs of black children, while also benefiting all children regardless of their race.

To read more about this article:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/moving_america_news/28979/1

ACEs Webinar Archive - Dr. Heather Larkin

Recent medical research on "Adverse Childhood Experiences" (ACEs) reveals a compelling relationship between the extent of childhood trauma and serious later in life health and social problems. The social science knowledge base and the practical experience of social service providers become important in terms of understanding and responding to adverse life experiences in childhood and adolescence. The ACE research can be linked with prevention and intervention knowledge that involves prevention of health risk behaviors, evidence-based mental health and substance abuse treatment, recovery-oriented systems of care, integrated treatment of co-occurring disorders, community development, and service delivery and policy evaluations. Social workers located in discrete professional settings can mobilize comprehensive responses for a whole person approach to adverse childhood experiences by bringing together various professions to create more coherent systems for the development of children and the support of parents. Capital Region ACE Think Tank and Action Teams have utilized ACE research to connect various areas of concern (workforce issues, trauma-informed practice, recovery-oriented systems of care, prevention and intervention, treatment of co-occurring disorders, cross-systems/service integration). This webinar outlines the ACE research, emphasizing this connection to social service knowledge for response strategy, and reports on newer research exploring the Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Homeless People and a representative demographic sample of New Yorkers. The mission and purpose of local ACE Think Tank and Action Team Meetings is discussed, outlining the policy journey in the NYS Capital Region along with next steps. NYS has the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in ACE response, promoting resilience, recovery, and transformation.

Pledge to Participate in the President’s Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative

Being a dad is one of the most important jobs any man can have. As the father of two young girls and someone who grew up without his dad in the home, President Obama knows firsthand the power of a father’s presence in the lives of his children – and the holes dads leave when they are absent.

That’s why he launched the President’s Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative. Its goal: to encourage individuals, especially fathers, to be involved in the lives of their children, and to be positive role models and mentors for other children in their lives and communities.

Signing the Pledge is just one way to show that you will do your part to be a positive and supportive figure in the lives of children to help them reach their full potential.

Join the Presidents’ Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative by signing the pledge at: www.fatherhood.gov/initiative

En Español -www.fatherhood.gov/iniciativa

What do you get when you sign up?
- Information on local and national events that support fatherhood and mentorship
- Links to exceptional fatherhood and mentoring resources
- Access to unique content

Join now to be invited to a conference call on May 18, exclusively for those that joined the Administration in this effort. The conference call will include Senior White House officials and leading figures from around the country.

Rear-Facing Car Seats Advised at Least to Age of 2

Toddlers are usually switched from rear-facing to forward-facing car seats right after their first birthday — an event many parents may celebrate as a kind of milestone.

But in a new policy statement, the nation’s leading pediatricians’ group says that is a year too soon.

The advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics, issued Monday, is based primarily on a 2007 University of Virginia study finding that children under 2 are 75 percent less likely to suffer severe or fatal injuries in a crash if they are facing the rear.

“A baby’s head is relatively large in proportion to the rest of his body, and the bones of his neck are structurally immature,” said the statement’s lead author, Dr. Dennis R. Durbin, scientific co-director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “If he’s rear-facing, his entire body is better supported by the shell of the car seat. When he’s forward-facing, his shoulders and trunk may be well restrained, but in a violent crash, his head and neck can fly forward.”

READ MORE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/health/policy/22carseat.html?_r=1

2011 Strong Roots Last a Lifetime Training Registration

2011 Strong Roots Last a Lifetime Professional Development Conference Series

* May 12, 2011 Broome County: Binghamton
* June 22, 2011 Nassau County: Oceanside
* September 21, 2011 Chautauqua County: Sinclairville
* October 26, 2011 Jefferson County: Watertown
* November 2, 2011 Albany County: Albany
* TBA: Queens County
* TBA: Brooklyn County or Bronx County

VISIT NYSPEP.ORG to register now!

APRIL 7: The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Webinar

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/535580787

Please join NYSPEP on April 7, 2011 from 2:00pm-3:30pm for the "Adverse Childhood Experiences" Webinar with Dr. Heather Larkin from the University at Albany.

Recent medical research on "Adverse Childhood Experiences" (ACEs) reveals a compelling relationship between the extent of childhood trauma and serious later in life health and social problems. The social science knowledge base and the practical experience of social service providers become important in terms of understanding and responding to adverse life experiences in childhood and adolescence. The ACE research can be linked with prevention and intervention knowledge that involves prevention of health risk behaviors, evidence-based mental health and substance abuse treatment, recovery-oriented systems of care, integrated treatment of co-occurring disorders, community development, and service delivery and policy evaluations. Social workers located in discrete professional settings can mobilize comprehensive responses for a whole person approach to adverse childhood experiences by bringing together various professions to create more coherent systems for the development of children and the support of parents. Capital Region ACE Think Tank and Action Teams have utilized ACE research to connect various areas of concern (workforce issues, trauma-informed practice, recovery-oriented systems of care, prevention and intervention, treatment of co-occurring disorders, cross-systems/service integration). This webinar outlines the ACE research, emphasizing this connection to social service knowledge for response strategy, and reports on newer research exploring the Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Homeless People and a representative demographic sample of New Yorkers. The mission and purpose of local ACE Think Tank and Action Team Meetings is discussed, outlining the policy journey in the NYS Capital Region along with next steps. NYS has the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in ACE response, promoting resilience, recovery, and transformation.