Ask your local government to adopt its own resolution to declare this SBS Awareness Week. A draft of this resolution follows; click for a downloadable PDF version.
RESOLUTION
A resolution recognizing the week of April 20-26, 2003, as
"Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week"
WHEREAS, the most recent statistics collected by the Federal government show that 880,000 children were identified as victims of abuse and neglect in 2000, and
WHEREAS, such abuse causes unspeakable pain and suffering to our most vulnerable citizens, and
WHEREAS, four children who are victims of abuse and neglect die on an average day in this country, and
WHEREAS, children under the age of one constitute 44% of child fatalities due to child abuse, and
WHEREAS, the most recent statistics available from the New York State Department of Health demonstrate that between 1990 to 1992 homicide was the leading cause of death due to injury for children under the age of one, and that five times as many children die as the result of homicides than die in motor vehicle crashes; and
WHEREAS, it is intolerable that such circumstances exist; and
WHEREAS, a survey by Prevent Child Abuse America conducted during 2000 shows that half of all Americans believe that child abuse and neglect is the most important issue facing this country, compared to other public health issues, and
WHEREAS, the leading cause of death of abused children is head trauma, including the trauma known as Shaken Baby Syndrome, and
WHEREAS, Shaken Baby Syndrome, which typically results from a caregiver's losing control and shaking a baby or young child, most typically less than 1 year of age, but as old as 5 years of age, and which can cause loss of vision, brain damage, paralysis, seizures, or death, is a totally preventable form of child abuse, and
WHEREAS, on average as many as 3,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome every year, and thousands more are misdiagnosed and undetected, and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that, on average, 100 children in New York State are shaken every year severely enough to require medical care because of injuries, and even more are shaken but not reported because of neglect or ignorance; and
WHEREAS, Shaken Baby Syndrome often causes permanent, irreparable brain damage or death to an infant, and may result in more than $1 million in medical costs for the care of a single disabled child during the first few years of life, and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that the taxpayers of the State of New York may, though the State Medicaid program, pay as much as 41% of the medical and rehabilitation costs that result from shaking injuries;
WHEREAS, it is estimated that the taxpayers of the State of New York may pay an average of $25,000 to investigate and prosecute each instance in which a baby or young child is injured by shaking; and
WHEREAS, it appears that there is substantial medical evidence which indicates that, even when the injuries resulting from Shaken Baby Syndrome are moderate, shaking injuries and similar trauma are likely to cause learning disabilities in children that impose substantial costs on local school districts, and
WHEREAS, the State pays 43% of the cost of such programs and local property taxpayers pay the remaining costs; and
WHEREAS, police, fire and emergency service workers responding to emergency calls precipitated by Shaken Baby Syndrome and other forms of traumatic child abuse are exposed to substantial risk in order to respond quickly to those calls and transport injured children to medical facilities, and municipalities incur substantial costs for police, fire and emergency services required to respond to such incidents, and
WHEREAS, the most effective way to end Shaken Baby Syndrome is by preventing such abuse, and it is clear that the minimal costs of educational and preventive programs may avert enormous medical and disability costs and untold grief for many families, and
WHEREAS, awareness and prevention programs have been shown to raise awareness and provide critically important information about Shaken Baby Syndrome to parents, caregivers, daycare workers, child protection employees, law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, and representatives of the justice system, and
WHEREAS, prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome is supported by national groups such as the Shaken Baby Alliance, an organization started by the mothers of three children who were diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome, and New York State groups such as The Skipper Initiative, a organization started in memory of Skipper Lithco, an eleven month old resident of the MidHudson Valley, who was born on December 24, 1999 and died of Shaken Baby Syndrome on December 3, 2000, and the Brittney Sheets Foundation for SBS Prevention, founded as the result of the death of Brittney Alexis Sheets, a resident of the Rochester area, who was born on December 31, 1998 and died of Shaken Baby Syndrome on June 7, 2001, and
WHEREAS, it appears that there is substantial medical evidence which indicates that hospital-based education programs can reduce the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome by 55%, and
WHEREAS, legislation was adopted by the State Legislature in 2001 that requires hospitals to include information about Shaken Baby Syndrome in the maternity information pamphlet provided to all persons registering for maternity services; and
WHEREAS, it appears that additional efforts are warranted to ensure that all parents of newborn children are educated about the danger that Shaken Baby Syndrome represents to the health and wellbeing of their child, and ways that they can help protect their child from shaking injuries; and
WHEREAS, the Upstate New York SBS Prevention Project has developed and implemented an effective hospital education program in twenty two counties of the State with the support of the New York State Hoyt Trust Fund that has reduced the incidence of shaking injuries by 55% at a cost of $5 to $10 per birth;
WHEREAS, it is estimated that for every $1 spend by the State on prevention efforts would save the State approximately $1.70 in current expenditures for medical costs, rehabilitation services, learning disabilities, investigation and prosecution of cases involving shaking injuries, taxes on lost wages, payments by the Crime Victims Board; and
WHEREAS, the national cost of child abuse is estimated by Prevention Child Abuse America as more than $24 billion a year, and the cost of child abuse in New York State is estimate to exceed $3 billion a year; and
WHEREAS, it has been estimated that the implementation of an effective hospital based SBS prevention program would save 55 children from shaking injuries, including 15 to 20 children who will otherwise die from such injuries; and
WHEREAS, this legislative body strongly supports efforts to protect children from injury, abuse and neglect; and
WHEREAS, the State Legislature has been asked to designate the third week of April, which this year occurs from April 20 to April 26, 2003, as "Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week";
NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by this legislative body that it proclaims April 20 to April 26, 2003, as "Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week and it calls upon the Governor and the Legislature to also designate that week.
Be It Further Resolved That it encourages and supports participation by state, county and municipal agencies and the public in education and awareness activities about Shaken Baby Syndrome during Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week; and
Be It Further Resolved That it encourages and supports efforts by the Governor and the Legislature to establish and proclaim a program of activities during Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week to increase public awareness of the dangers of shaking injuries, and to promote affirmative coping skills for all parents and others who care for babies and young children,
Be It Further Resolved That it encourages and supports efforts by the Governor and the Legislature to coordinate and support hospital-based education programs about Shaken Baby Syndrome based on the Upstate New York SBS Prevention Project or other programs that have proved effective in reducing the incidence of shaking injuries to the children of the State of New York.
Be It Further Resolved That it encourages the development of a plan of action to increase awareness among state, county and municipal employees in this State about the dangers of shaking injuries, and how they can promote affirmative coping skills for all parents and others who care for babies and young children; and
Be It Further Resolved That it encourages and supports efforts by the Governor and the Legislature to work with school districts and the State Education Department to establish a program of activities in schools to increase age-appropriate awareness among students, who may now babysit for young children and who may in the future become parents themselves, of the dangers of shaking injuries, and promote instruction on affirmative coping and parenting skills for such students as part of the course of study required by the parenting skills mandate adopted by the Board of Regents in 2000; and
Be It Further Resolved That it supports the establishment of a State Task Force on the Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome, comprised of representatives from the public and private sector to report to the Legislature on the most effective strategy and methods that can be pursued by the State and the public to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome.
The Clerk is hereby directed to send a duly certified copy of this resolution, as adopted, to the Governor and the Speaker of each chamber of the legislature
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