BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | ACR 136|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 136
Author: Ma (D), et al.
Amended: 4/16/12 in Assembly
Vote: 21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Read and adopted, 4/12/12
SUBJECT : Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week
SOURCE : San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center
DIGEST : This resolution recognizes April 15 to April 21,
2012, inclusive, as Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1. In California, over 500,000 babies are born every year.
2. The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that
babies, infants, and toddlers are especially vulnerable
to abusive head trauma, also known as "Shaken Baby
Syndrome," the pattern of injury that results from an
act of violent shaking by a parent or caregiver.
3. Shaken Baby Syndrome and other inflicted head trauma is
now recognized as a leading cause of child fatalities
among children who are physically abused.
4. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine,
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report that babies younger than five months of age are
at the greatest risk of injury and death due to abuse or
neglect.
5. A 2003 report in the Journal of the American Medical
Association surveyed the incidence of Shaken Baby
Syndrome and estimated that an average of 300 children
will die each year from Shaken Baby Syndrome and 600 to
1,200 more children will be injured.
6. Medical professionals believe that there are thousands
of cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome that are misdiagnosed
or undetected.
7. It is estimated that during an average year in
California, 220 to 280 children under five years of age
will require medical attention because of inflicted head
injuries, and two-thirds of these injuries are likely to
occur in babies or infants younger than one year of age.
8. Roughly one-third of the victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome
will suffer from developmental problems, including
partial or total blindness, hearing loss, seizures,
speech and learning difficulties, paralysis, and severe
intellectual disability.
9. The infliction of injuries often occurs when a parent or
caregiver is not prepared to cope with the frustration
and anger that can result from the inconsolable crying
of an infant or unrealistic expectations of a child's
behavior.
10. Shaken Baby Syndrome and the injuries inflicted are
preventable.
11. The medical costs of treating Shaken Baby Syndrome
cases and the costs of rehabilitation services to
surviving infants average between $18,000 and $70,000
for initial hospitalizations, and may exceed more than
$1 million for the care of a single disabled child over
the course of his or her lifetime.
12. The lifetime cost of the estimated 220 to 280 Shaken
Baby Syndrome victims each year in California ranges
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between $78 million and $104 million.
13. The costs of those services are primarily paid by the
Medi-Cal program, which in the year 2000 paid for 42.4%
of births in the state, and by private health insurers,
resulting in higher taxes and higher health insurance
costs for all citizens of the state.
14. At least 75% of Shaken Baby Syndrome victims are
Medi-Cal recipients when they are diagnosed.
15. Shaken Baby Syndrome cases further impose costs to
communities in many ways, including the investigation
and prosecution of Shaken Baby Syndrome cases, the
tragic disruption of families, and the special education
needs that are frequently required by those who have
survived even modest head traumas.
16. Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention programs have
demonstrated that educating new parents about the danger
of shaking young children and how they can help protect
their child from injury can effect a significant
reduction in the number of Shaken Baby Syndrome cases.
17. The minimal costs and effort of these educational and
preventative programs avert enormous medical and
disability costs and untold grief for many families.
18. Efforts to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome are supported
by numerous organizations, including the National Center
on Shaken Baby Syndrome, the San Francisco Shaken Baby
Syndrome Prevention Project, the San Francisco Child
Abuse Prevention Center, the Hannah Rose Foundation, and
the Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Council
Coalition.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/8/12)
San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center (source)
Child Abuse Prevention Center
Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Council Coalition
San Francisco Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Project
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CTW:kc 5/8/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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