Rising Opioid Use A Factor In Child Maltreatment Deaths
Listen
The opioid epidemic is claiming another victim: young children who are neglected by their addicted parents. That’s according to the newest annual report on child fatalities in Washington state.
Between 2013 and 2016, opioid use was a factor in the maltreatment deaths of 33 children under the age of three in Washington.
The new child mortality report says nearly two-thirds of those deaths were related to unsafe sleep conditions.
But there was also a two-year-old who died from physical abuse at the hands of a caregiver experiencing withdrawal from Oxycodone. And a three-year-old who died after accidentally swallowing a combination of drugs.
To address this trend, the state’s Family and Children’s Ombudsman recommends expanding treatment services and a state program that pairs nurses with vulnerable first-time expectant mothers.
Overall in 2016, the Ombudsman reviewed 63 child fatality cases and 28 near fatalities.
Other major risk factors included mental health issues and a history of domestic violence.
Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network
Related Stories:
Some retirees could see thousands in back pay following new Social Security Fairness Act
Theresa Brandt teaches math to her first graders at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. President Joe Biden signed a bill repealing two provisions that reduced Social Security benefits for public
Unpacking Senate Bill 5041: Unemployment benefits for striking workers
Striking teachers march around the Tacoma School District Central Administration Building, Sept. 10, 2018, in Tacoma, Wash. (Credit: Ted S. Warren / AP) Listen (Runtime 4:28) Read By Phineas Pope
WA’s new governor takes office, promises big changes: ‘I’m not here to defend government’
Washington’s 24th Governor, Bob Ferguson, takes the oath of office in Olympia Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Credit: Jeanie Lindsay / KUOW) Read By Jeanie Lindsay, Northwest News Network Washington’s new
