Shaken Baby Syndrome
Prevention Campaign
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| The Central Massachusetts Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign |
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On November 16, 2006, quietly and without any fanfare, Governor Mitt Romney signed a comprehensive measure to prevent shaken baby syndrome in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Formerly House Bill 4959, the law has been reneamed Chapter 356 of the Acts of 2006. Because it was enacted as emergency legislation, the bill took effect immediately. The new law amends a section of the Massachusetts General Laws related to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  On October 27, 2005, the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives joint committees on Public Health and Families and Children held an historic joint public hearing on Thursday, October 27, 2005, on four bills to establish shaken baby syndrome prevention programs in the Commonwealth. Underscoring the urgency and public interest in preventing injury from shaking, this was the first joint session of two joint committees. Testifying in a packed hearing room, members of the child protection community, medical experts, families, representatives of the judiciary, prosecutors and other interested individuals spoke about the great need for shaken baby syndrome prevention. SBS prevention efforts in New York and Massachusetts were recognized at the 2005 Commissioner's Award Ceremony held during the 15th Annual Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in April, 2005, in Boston. Joan E. Ohl, Commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, presented awards to Patricia Scibak, Regional Legal Counsel for the Central Region of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, and to the Kaleida Health/Children's Hospital of Buffalo Kaleida Health/Children's Hospital of Buffalo for its Upstate Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program. Scibak was honored for her work on the Central Massachusetts Shaken Baby Syndrome Campaign which has served as a catalyst for the statewide SBS Prevention Task Force and has prompted comprehensive SBS prevention legislation in Massachusetts. The Upstate New York Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program was one of the first primary prevention programs of its kind in the United States. Initiated as a pilot program in eight counties in Western New York, the program objective has been to educate parents of all newborns about the dangers of violent shaking. The Central Mass In-Hospital program is based on the New York model. Massachusetts lawmakers have filed two bills to establish programs to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome in the Commonwealth. A bill filed by State Representative John Scibak (D-South Hadley) and State Senator Susan Tucker (D-Andover) would establish a broad statewide initiative for SBS prevention through education and public awareness. The Campaign, with assistance and support from the Worcester Collaborative, worked with several public and private advocacy groups to draft the Tucker/Scibak bill. The bill would require the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to collaborate with the Department of Social Services and other groups to develop a comprehensive statewide initiative. This legislation also calls for an SBS surveillance system. More than 40 Massachusetts legislators have signed on as co-sponsors of the Tucker/Scibak proposed legislation. A bill filed by Peter Koutoujian (D-Waltham) would require hospitals to provide SBS prevention materials to parents and guardians of newborns. The McGee/Koutoujian bill was filed at the request of the Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. A low-cost, hospital-based parent education program can reduce the incidence of abusive head injuries caused by shaken baby syndrome by nearly 50 percent, according to a Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center study released today. “Abusive head injuries among infants are serious; between 13 percent and 30 percent of infants die from their injuries and at least one half of the survivors suffer significant neurological impairments,” said Mark S. Dias, M.D., pediatric neurosurgeon and associate professor of pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center. “Our study shows that an effective prevention campaign could potentially save the lives of many children and significantly improve the lives of many others.” The study titled,“Preventing Abusive Head Trauma Among Infants and Young Children: A Hospital-Based, Parent Education Program,”was published April 4, 2005, in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the New York state study, the goals were to develop a standardized education program about shaken baby syndrome for all new parents in the region, to assess parents’ knowledge about the dangers of violent shaking and to track the use of the education program through the use of commitment statements, agreements signed by parents that show that they received and understood the educational materials. Nurses at the hospitals were trained by shaken baby syndrome educators to provide pamphlets, discuss them with parents and show a short video. Nurses were to specifically seek out fathers or father-figures who are more often involved in shaken baby syndrome cases. The parents were then asked to sign commitment statements, which also gathered demographic and other information about the responders. The regional incidence of abusive head injuries among infants and children less than 36 months of age was tracked from December 1998 to May 2004 and was compared to the regional incidence during the five years before the program began, and to the incidents of abusive head trauma in infants in the state of Pennsylvania from 1996 to 2002. A total of 64,205 commitment statements were recorded out of 94,409 live births during the study period. During the period before the study began, 49 cases of abusive head injury were identified, or 41.5 cases per 100,000 live births. During the study period, only 21 cases of abusive head injury were recorded, or 22.2 cases per 100,000 live births. “This translates to a 47 percent reduction in the cases of abusive head injuries from shaken baby syndrome during the study program and shows that the education program is effective in reducing shaken baby syndrome,” Dias said. “Although many parents we spoke with had heard of shaken baby syndrome, providing parents with this information at that critical time, just after the birth of their children, appeared to provide a critical reminder that resulted in fewer cases of abuse.” The statewide incidence of abusive head injuries in Pennsylvania did not change significantly from 1996 to 2002, suggesting that the reductions in New York state were specifically related to the patient education program. According to the study, the program costs less than $10 per infant and was designed to require less than 15 minutes. When compared to the initial hospitalization and ongoing medical costs for treatment that can average nearly $300,000 per child, this study shows that a small investment of time and money can truly make a difference. Recently, the pilot program in western New York was expanded to include a second brief education reminder for parents at the infant’s first visit with a pediatric care provider. “Although we may never be able to completely eliminate abusive head injury from shaken baby syndrome,” Dias said, “we hope that a systematic approach to prevention will at least reduce it to a fraction of its present level.” In addition to Dias, study authors were: Kim Smith, R.N., Kathy deGuehery, R.N., Paula Mazur, M.D., F.A.A.P., Veetai Li, M.D., Departments of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, N.Y., and Michele L. Shaffer, Ph.D., Department of Health Evaluation Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center. This study was supported by grants from the New York State (William B. Hoyt Memorial) Trust Fund, the Matthew Eappen Foundation, and WHY health insurers (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Western New York, Independent Health, and Univera Healthcare.) (News Release, April 2005, Hersey, Pennsylvania) (Press Release) Worcester, Mass., January 27, 2005 – The Child Abuse Prevention and Protection Collaborative of Central Massachusetts has announced plans to expand the Central Mass. Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign, which has provided training for over 60 hospital nurses, and 430 social workers and health educators at community agencies to help parents cope with crying infants and learn the dangers of shaking a baby. Shaken Baby Syndrome is one of the most frequent causes of catastrophic brain injury and death in young babies, and results when a parent or other caretaker vigorously shakes an infant or small child. Alicia Lenahan, chair of the Collaborative, reported “Volunteers from more than 18 local community-based organizations and 4 local birthing hospitals, have joined the Central Mass. Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign to educate parents of newborns before they leave the hospital, and support parents of young children in the community, to never shake a baby.” Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Harrington Hospital in Southbridge, Milford-Whitinsville Hospital, and St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester currently offer Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention education to parents of newborns. The Campaign will expand to include UMass Memorial Hospital and HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster this year. Lenahan applauded state leaders for “building upon the success of the Central Mass. Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign by filing legislation to assure that all parents of newborns have access to this information in a timely manner to prevent further tragedy”. State Representative John Scibak (D-South Hadley), is co-sponsoring a bill to create a statewide initiative to prevent death and disability due to Shaken Baby Syndrome. Scibak said, “Along with more than 45 members of the House and Senate, Senator Susan Tucker (D-Andover) and I have filed “An Act to Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome in Massachusetts” , a bill to educate parents and community members about the dangers of shaking a baby. This bill will save lives by helping all parents and caregivers develop safe ways to cope with a crying baby.” Repeating the theme from the Central Mass. Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign, Scibak said, “We want all parents, babysitters, and other caregivers to know that you never, ever shake a baby.” The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Inc. announced a $373,153 grant to the Child Abuse Prevention and Protection Collaborative to expand the Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention program to UMass Memorial Hospital and HealthAlliance Hospital, continue the Family Outreach Network’s support for families at high risk for child maltreatment, educate children and families to prevent future cases of abuse or neglect, and advocate for sustainability and systems change to improve the coordination of care for child victims and their families. Dr. Jan Yost, president and CEO of the Foundation, said, “This grant brings the Foundation’s commitment to child abuse prevention and treatment to over $1.2 million of our total $7.8 million in grants since 2000. Along with oral health and children’s mental health, child abuse prevention is a top priority for the Foundation through our Health Care and Health Promotion Synergy Initiative.” Yost explained that the Synergy Initiative was designed to bring together health care and social service organizations to address major health disparities and advocate for lasting systems change. “The Collaborative has united parents, community agencies, and local hospitals in the effort to prevent child abuse and improve the treatment of child victims of abuse. With the support of state leaders, the Collaborative is well-positioned to have a powerful impact on the systems that care for children and families,” said Yost. In accepting the grant as fiscal agent and administrator for the Collaborative, Deborah Ekstrom, president of Community Healthlink, Inc. said, “We are grateful for this continued support from The Health Foundation which will enable the Collaborative to pursue its advocacy agenda to improve the systems that care for child victims and their families, and prevent future cases of child abuse and neglect. Community Healthlink’s Youth and Family Services is an active partner in this effort, and we are committed to the Collaborative’s success.” According to Nassrine Farhoody, program manager for the Collaborative, “The Collaborative has over thirty members, including parents and leaders from social work, nursing, law enforcement, child protection, health education, and social services from throughout Central Massachusetts.” Massachusetts Department of Social Services Commissioner Harry Spence said, “DSS is proud to be a partner in the Collaborative, and is committed to working with other state and community agencies to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome, using the model developed in Central Mass. Parenting can be challenging and stressful, even under the best of circumstances, and families often need support to be successful. This program helps parents learn new skills to cope with the stress, and find ways to seek help when needed.” Commissioner Spence also described efforts to improve data collection to accurately reflect the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Assistant District Attorney Mary Sawicki, chief of the child abuse unit in the Office of District Attorney John J. Conte, said, “Most of us remember the tragic death of 8-month old Matthew Eappen, whose nanny was convicted of manslaughter by shaking the baby. Unfortunately, that was not an isolated incident. In 2001, when we started the Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign, there were six cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome in Central Massachusetts alone. Preliminary results from a recent DSS survey of cases open with DSS between 2001 and 2004 found over 80 infants and children suspected or diagnosed as victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Of these youngsters, 16 reside in Worcester County.” Sawicki explained that the Central Mass Shaken Baby Syndrome Campaign was established to respond to these “horrific, preventable tragedies”. With the aid of the Massachusetts Citizens for Children, an eight-point plan was developed to prevent future cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome. According to Sawicki, “Education is the first step. We can all make a difference by sharing this information with anyone who has the responsibility of caring for an infant or small child.” Through the efforts of volunteer nurses at Heywood, Harrington, Milford-Whitinsville, St. Vincent hospitals, more than 3,000 parents of newborns have received the in-hospital education program developed by the Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign. An additional 400 health educators at community agencies have been trained to support new parents in the community and prevent infant and toddler deaths due to shaking. Karen Beaton, RN, Maternal-Child Nurse Manager at Heywood Hospital, shared the story of one new mother who “came back to the hospital with her babysitter in tow, and asked the nurses to show the babysitter the Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention video”. According to Beaton, “We surveyed parents who had received the in-hospital education program and found that more than 90% of parents had returned home and shared the information with another family member or babysitter. That is powerful education.” The Campaign was recently featured in the Gardner News and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, recognizing a critical need to address Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention, is leading a taskforce to bring SBS prevention efforts statewide. Representatives from leading hospitals, state agencies, advocacy groups, and parents have begun to meet regularly to develop a statewide approach to preventing infant death and disability due to violent shaking. In addition to public awareness and education, two major components will be victim support/rehabilitation and SBS surveillance. The Campaign is playing a pivitol role by advocating for legislation and promoting an in-hospital education program for parents of newborns. "What's New?" for 2004 (Archives) "What's New?" for 2003 (Archives) | Return Home | About SBS | About the Campaign | What's New? | Great Links | |
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