Hillsides Encourages the Reduction of Medication for Children and Youth in Foster Care

(PASADENA, CA) Hillsides encourages the reduction of medication for its clients, Hillsides Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Costa said in response to an article in the Los Angeles Times addressing the over medication of children in the Los Angeles County foster care system. “The introduction of positive behavior reinforcement, an engaging individualized routine, strengthening of social skills, and cognitive therapies usually result in lessening the need for medication and equipping the child to be better prepared for a return to home and community,” said Costa.

Costa noted that virtually all the children referred to Hillsides arrive having been prescribed some medication. “The first thing that we do is a review of medications and dosages to determine the appropriateness while engaging family and responsible authorities in re-examining the need for each prescription,” he said. “One of the many benefits of a highly structured and supervised environment like Hillsides is to determine if there may be a way to cut back the use of medication.”

Costa said that it is important to consider why any child would be prescribed a psychotropic medication.

“Children in the foster care system have been traumatized in some way, if for no other reason that they have been removed from their families,” he said. “The reasons for the removal point to another layer of experiences that have further affected them. In addition, many of these children have experienced delays in their education, and in some instances, have been diagnosed with special learning challenges. Often for children in these kinds of situations medication is recommended to address impulsive behavior, an inability to sustain focus, depression, and anxiety. As helpful as some medication may be to address these issues, it is nevertheless a risk to prescribe medication without any assurances that there will not be any long-term negative effects.

“As a result, it is with some reluctance medication is prescribed. However, often the nature of a child’s diagnosed severe emotional disturbance and a sense of urgency to maintain the child’s emotional well-being contribute to introducing medication into the regimen of care. For a child in the foster care system, this is often complicated because of inconsistencies in a child’s care such as multiple living placements, several school enrollments, and changing social workers and consulting psychiatrist. All these are factors that contribute to the overmedicating of children in care. Overmedication is a symptom of a system that is haphazard, uncoordinated, and driven by the need to safeguard its own interests rather than that of the children it serves.”

Costa noted that some effective medications have a profound impact on children and youth, enabling them to lead healthy lives. “Mental illness is like any other illness; it requires constant attention and appropriate care to allow for improved functioning and a restoration of well-being. We certainly would not deny a child with juvenile diabetes insulin. Then we should not deny a child experiencing an episode of mental illness the appropriate care needed to get better,” he said. He continued: “Abuses can occur whenever medication is prescribed. What is required is a system of care that assures vigilance and seamless care focused on the long-term best interests of the child.”

Hillsides, founded in 1913, is a premier provider of child welfare services serving more than 6,200 children, youth, and families throughout Los Angeles County, including Echo Park, Baldwin Park, and the San Gabriel Valley. For more information, please visit www.hillsides.org.
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This press release was originally published in a slightly different version on Hillsides blog on February 19, 2015.

CONTACT: Alison Bell
Office: (323) 543-2800 ext. 226
Cell: (626) 390-1640
E-mail: abell2@hillsides.org

Hillsides is a premier provider dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of vulnerable children, youth, and their families. Our vision is to create lasting change in the lives of at-risk children and youth we serve. We provide high quality care, advocacy, and innovative services that promote safe, permanent environments where young people can thrive.

Hillsides has four main programs:
Family Resource Centers, which offer numerous community based programs and services that provide parenting classes, mental health support and additional crucial resources for vulnerable children and families throughout Los Angeles County.
Residential Treatment Services, which provide a safe and stable environment where children and youths, who cannot live at home, suffered trauma, or have severe emotional or behavioral challenges, can thrive.
Education Center, a therapeutic residential and day school that offers individualized education for students with social-emotional, learning and/or behavioral challenges for children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Youth Moving On, which provides former foster youth affordable quality housing and numerous support services to help them become responsible, self-sufficient adults.

Hillsides
940 Avenue 64
Pasadena, CA 91105
323-254-2274
Company Contact/Press Contact:
Alison Bell
323-543-2800 ext 226
815 Colorado Blvd, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90041

This release was published on openPR.