Release - Shaken Baby Syndrome bill signed into law - 11/17/2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 17, 2006
Contact: Patrick Golden
617-722-2130
New law requires hospitals to educate parents about dangers of shaking a child
BOSTON – State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, and Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, today announced the legislation that can reduce incidents of Shaken Baby Syndrome in Massachusetts has been signed into law.
The bill, sponsored by Koutoujian and Scibak, directs the state Department of Public Health to collaborate with the Department of Social Services, the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund and other agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive, state-wide initiative to reduce death and disability resulting from SBS. The initiative will include educating parents and guardians of newborns – prior to being discharged from the hospital - about the risks of shaking an infant.
The House and Senate included an emergency preamble with the legislation so that it goes into effect immediately.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur when an infant or young child is shaken, causing the developing brain to strike the skull. About one in four children who suffer from SBS die from their injuries, and more than 50 percent of infants and children who survive SBS suffer from residual disabilities that can include: brain damage, seizures, mental retardation, spinal injury and paralysis.
“This legislation can better help new parents understand the dangers of shaking an infant child,” said Koutoujian. “Even though my wife and I have two young children, I learned about Shaken Baby Syndrome through my work as a prosecutor, not from our stay in the hospital.”
"There are clear data showing that educating parents and caregivers dramatically reduces the number of Shaken Baby Syndrome, and it is important that we begin to provide it state-wide," said Scibak. "If this legislation saves the life of one child, it will be well worth the investment.”
Koutoujian and Scibak were joined last year at a State House news conference held in support of the bill by Deborah Eappen, president of the Matty Eappen Foundation, a non-profit group that advocates for laws, programs and policies that can stop SBS. In 1997, tragedy struck the Eappen family when their 8-month-old son, Matty, died from being shaken by an au pair that had been caring for him.
“We’re grateful to the Legislature for moving this crucial piece of legislation forward,” said Harry Spence, Commissioner of the state Department of Social Services. “This is a bill that directly addresses Shaken Baby Syndrome, the most frequent cause of abuse and injury among infants and toddlers.”
The bill includes:
Instituting a patient-education program on Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention whereby every parent or guardian of a newborn is provided with information about the risk associated with shaking an infant
Instituting education and training programs on the prevention and diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome for other parents, caregivers, physicians and professionals serving children and families
Assisting is the develop of programs to support the serve victims and families affected by Shaken Baby Syndrome
Conducting an annual evaluation of the Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention initiative
Conducting surveillance and data collection of the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome and traumatic brain injury in infants and young children
Some facts about Shaken Baby Syndrome:
Shaking an infant can lead to brain damage, seizures, mental retardation, spinal injury, paralysis, impaired use of limbs and death
As many as 50,000 infants each year may suffer from SBS-related injuries
1 in 3 will survive with little or no obvious injury
But 1 in 3 will suffer permanent injury, such as developmental delays, mental retardation, brain damage, deafness, blindness, seizures and paralysis
Tragically, the remaining 1 in 3 will die
As many as 30 percent of SBS cases are misdiagnosed at the first medical visit
74 percent of Shaken Baby Syndrome perpetrators are men
Medical costs associated with SBS can exceed $1 million for the first year after the injury. A survivor of severe brain injury requires between $4.1 million and $9 million in lifetime care
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