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TALKING POINTS
(AB 2645)
- The underlying bias in AB 2645 is that there is a widespread social
problem in overmedicating foster youth with psychotropics. The truth is that
the biggest problem facing foster youth is that about half of foster youth do
not receive medical or mental health care at all.
- A 1999 study of Los Angeles County foster youth by Dr. Bonnie Zima at UCLA
entitled "Psychotropic Medication Treatment Patterns Among School-Aged
Children in Foster Care" indicates that 16% of school-aged foster
children have taken psychotropic medication during their lifetime. 86% of
the Parents of these children reported that they perceived a benefit from
their psychotropic medications. 89% of the Children reported that they
experienced some benefit from the medications that they took.
- The study design in AB 2645 is fatally flawed and will not yield useful
data to improve quality of care for foster youth. In fact it could produce
misleading data. It does not call for collecting data on diagnosis; whether
specialty physicians or primary care physicians wrote the scripts; whether
provided medications were linked to the appropriate diagnosis and used in
optimal doses; whether other treatment interventions were used; nor, any
information on outcomes. A simple number indicating the numbers of foster
youth receiving medication, by itself is not meaningful at all!
- The counties indicated for study do not constitute a representative sample
and therefore even if it were possible to get useful data, it would not be
generalizable to other counties or the rest of California.
- Psychotropic medications are already the most restricted medications
prescribed for foster youth because SB 543 (Bowen, 1999) requires a court
order before a foster child may be administered any psychiatric medication.
- A properly designed study of foster youth, with appropriate safeguards as
required by Federal law (Institutional Review Boards, parental or guardian
consents), would be prohibitively expensive and not the best use of
taxpayers money in this budget environment.
- The California Department of Social Services does not contain the proper
expertise to conduct a valid, generalizable medication study.
AB 2645 BACKGROUND
- SAMPLE LETTER
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