FAS Declines Among Alaska Natives

A federally funded treatment and prevention program is being credited with a 32-percent decline in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) cases among Native Americans in Alaska,  Anchorage Daily News reported Feb. 19.

The $29-million program, which also included a multimedia education campaign, “did turn the corner,” said Diane Casto of the state Division of Behavioral Health. “What we know about prevention … you need to get the message out strongly, consistently, over and over again. It gave a good kick-start.”

The rate of children born with FAS among native populations declined from about 20 per 10,000 births in 1996 to 13.5 in 2002, according to state officials. Also, fewer children were born with alcohol spectrum disorders.

By contrast, the FAS rate among non-Native residents in Alaska did not drop.

You can read more studies about alcohol consumption at Join Together.

Adolescent Health Care: Consent and Confidentiality

As children become adolescents, one of the most important aspectsof their medical care is providing developmentally appropriate confidential care and navigating the changing relationship with parents and guardians. Click here to access an article discussing why and when to provide confidential care, the limits on confidentiality, and strategies to facilitate obtaining confidential information.

Pocket Shots: Easy Access for Underage Drinking

Pocket Shots are marketed as booze in a bag that “goes anywhere.”  They are sold at liquor stores around the Tampa Bay area and on the Internet. The company says they’re for people on the go who are over 21, and since this is a single-serve item, it’s easier to keep track of how much you’ve consumed.

College students have been ordering the pocket shots and getting them delivered at their schools with no problem despite many being underage.  Read more about this problem at http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/investigates/308-pocket-shots-concern-colleges

Reproductive Healthcare for Women with Disabilities

Reproductive Healthcare for Women with Disabilities: Free, Web-Based Program for Clinicians

Through a cooperative agreement with NCBDDD, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has developed a free, six-part, web-based program for clinicians working with women who have disabilities. “Reproductive Healthcare for Women with Disabilities” is an interactive and searchable resource available on the ACOG website. Intended to provide guidance in working with individual patients and for professional education, the program will offer CE credit to practitioners. Among the topics are: Scope of Disability, Sexuality, Psychosocial Issues, The GYN Exam and Screenings, Contraception and AUB, Pregnancy and Parenting, Diet/Exercise/Weight, Adolescent Considerations, Aging and Osteoporosis, Specific Disabilities, Developmental Disabilities, Sensory Impairments, ADA Requirements, Disability Culture, Office and Practice Solutions, and Resources. Visit  the ACOG website and use the search term “disability.”

Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis

The report analyzes the barriers to health care that result in our country’s troubling maternal mortality and morbidity statistics. Among other issues, the report examines discrimination; financial, bureaucratic and language barriers to accessing care; information about maternal care options; participation in care decisions; staffing and quality questions; and accountability and oversight.  Two years of analysis, including over one hundred interviews, went into the preparation of the report. We hope it proves to be a valuable tool in your own work.

Going forward, Amnesty International’s recommendations to improve maternal health will include calling for federal accountability on the issue of improving maternal health via an Office of Maternal Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, increasing support for community health centers, establishing state maternal mortality review boards and implementing presumptive eligibility for Medicaid in all states.

You can read the summary at DeadlyDeliverySummary or the  full report at DeadlyDelivery2.

The Unheard Voice: Addressing Violence Against Women with Disabilities

The New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Disability Services and the New Jersey Coalition on Women and Disabilities have developed important resources to address violence against women with disabilities.   Unheard Voices is a manual for Healthcare Providers to recognize and address possible abuse.  Spot the Signs is a handy brochure for healthcare professionals.  Ask the Questions is a poster that summarizes the major signs of possible abuse against women with disabilities.

This initiative was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Want to Learn More About Innovative Research into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?

The latest newsletter from the SAMHSA Center for Excellence in FASD includes summaries of recently published research into these disorders.  You can read these and other important news regarding the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol at 01 – 2010 Center Monthly Update

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