HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	25
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging all hospitals that provide medical care to newbornS to provide parentS of the newborn with written educational information APPROVED BY the DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH about the dangerous effects of shaken baby syndrome and the methods of preventing shaken baby syndrome.

     WHEREAS, Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is the medical term used to describe the vigorous violent shaking of an infant or young child and the resulting injuries; and

     WHEREAS, in America, treatment for SBS is sought for an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 children every year; and

     WHEREAS, at least one in four victims of SBS die as a result of their injuries; and

     WHEREAS, more then 50 percent of the infants and young children who survive SBS suffer from residual disabilities, including brain damage, seizures, mental retardation, spinal injury, paralysis, blindness, and hearing loss; and

     WHEREAS, it is likely that many more babies suffer from the effects of SBS, yet no one knows how many, because SBS victims rarely display any external evidence of trauma; and

     WHEREAS, shaking occurs frequently when a frustrated caregiver loses control of him or herself while trying to care for an inconsolable crying baby; and

     WHEREAS, SBS is preventable when parents of newborns are educated regarding the effects of a moment's violent loss of control and the resulting signs, symptoms, and effects of SBS; and

     WHEREAS, the message about the dangers of SBS need to be shared with all parents of infants and young children; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature hereby urges all hospitals that provide medical care to newborns to give parents of the newborn written educational information approved by the Department of Health (DOH) about the dangerous effects of SBS and different methods of preventing SBS; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH is requested to create, identify, and provide suitable informational literature to hospitals that provide medical care to newborns to be given to the parents of the children; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Healthcare Association, and the Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Shaken Baby Syndrome; Prevention