ORANGE COUNTY VOICES / SUZANNE M. MILLER : Youngest Victims of Drug Epidemic Need Help

Some suffer strokes in the womb. Others are born with a birth weight of as little as a pound and a half. Some are unable to stop kicking and moving their arms. Many have skin so sensitive that they cannot be touched or held by anyone. Their high-pitched cries distinguish them from healthier, more fortunate babies.

Imagine, for a moment, being born in this condition in a hospital or garage or back yard to parents unable to parent--in a society with little idea of how to help you. The National Assn. for Perinatal Addiction Research and Education has determined that one of every 11 newborns in the United States today “suffers health consequences from the mother’s use of illegal drugs during pregnancy.” This figure equates to roughly 375,000 babies exposed each year to illegal drugs.

The result is a problem of enormous magnitude whose economic and psychological impact on our society is already immense. In addition to the human suffering associated with the tragedy of substance-exposed infants, there is the sharply increasing economic impact of the problem. The cost of neonatal intensive care is approximately $2,OOO per day. For seven weeks, the cost for one baby will be approximately $100,000. In 1988, $2.5 billion was spent on intensive care for crack babies alone. But this is only the beginning.

The costs of foster care and education for these children must be added to the tab. The Florida State Department of Education estimates that it will cost an average of $40,000 to prepare a “drug baby” for kindergarten. A figure from a pilot program in Los Angeles indicates that it costs about $15,000 per year to educate a substance-exposed kindergarten child as opposed to $3,500 for a child in a regular classroom.

At an estimated 375,000 babies per year, that’s quite a cost. However, the costs of not caring for the infants are even greater. If these children are not helped to succeed in society, the cost in terms of lost human resources and the welfare provision for those unable to take care of themselves will far exceed any investment made at an early stage in the child’s life.

Where do we begin to chip away at this enormous, almost immovable boulder in our path? We assess our strengths, combine resources and mobilize as a community into action.

For the past five years, UC Irvine has spearheaded drug prevention projects that work directly with the schools in the community. Education is crucial because it is the foundation of a long-lasting solution to this problem. But, in the meantime, a number of pressing issues must be addressed. Can a comprehensive public policy be formulated that provides the most promising option or mix of options to deal effectively with the issue of substance-exposed infants?

Whatever policy debates arise concerning the President’s drug strategy and budget, prevention and treatment for substance-exposed infants must be of the highest priority. These children have been the victims of abuse, and we must now work to assure that they are not also the victims of waning political support for the nation’s drug control efforts. It is through discussion of the President’s 1991-92 drug control strategy and the associated budget that those concerned about these youngest victims of abuse can mount a concerted effort on their behalf.

Substance abuse is a threat to our most vulnerable citizens--infants. As with most social ills, the potential solutions to the distressing problems associated with substance-exposed infants are complex and require long-term attention. This is a plea for prevention and education, a recognition of the significance of the problem, and a call for a concerted national, state and local effort to address the needs of children who have already suffered from this tragedy.