The sponsor of HB 428 is Keisha Waites of the 60th.  She is the only one mentioned on this bill.  A similar bill; HB 23, was proposed in 2011.  The sponsor of that bill was Mary Oliver.  Other representatives involved with that particular bill were:  Kathy Ashe, Stephanie Benfield, Michele Henson, and Judy Manning.  Emails were sent to all these representatives with only one response from Ms. Henson.  She supported the previous bill; HB 23 ; which was also called the Foster Children’s Psychotropic Medication Monitoring Act.  She believes the bill did not pass because the medical lobby (made up of psychiatrists and doctors) did not want it to.  She claims they may refuse to accept Medicaid or see foster care patients.  There are already a limited amount of child psychiatrists available and sometimes case workers or foster parents have to drive hours to find one.  If these doctors chose to stop accepting Medicaid, it would be an even greater burden to find assistance for the children who truly need medication.

A former foster child was also interviewed.  She stated she started taking pills when she was seven; but she has no idea what the pills were even for.  She says the pills made her feel foggy and dizzy at times, and she believes they made her gain weight as well.  Since she has been out of foster care, she has stopped taking medications and has completed two years of college.  She states everyone in the group home she was at was on medication; and it is still happening.  Although she was unaware of HB 428; after hearing what it was, she agreed it would be a step in the right direction.

A parent who works at Angel House in Coweta county was also interviewed.  She was also unaware of HB 428.  She said she thought she received something in the mail about it; but she did not read it closely and states it does not matter to her whether it passes or not.  She went on to state it is her understanding that psychotropic drugs are used to help children with mental illnesses.  She does what the case manager tells her to do and gives the children the medication she is told to give them.  She is unaware of the potential side effects but feels that is not her responsibility.  She feels if the case worker is telling her to give them to the child, then they are the ones who know best.  She says she does not feel a caseworker would intentionally cause harm to a child by giving them something that is bad for them.

Some alternative solutions to the problem would be requiring closer monitoring of doctors who are prescribing psychotropic drugs.  The Food and Drug administration must come up with clear guidance in the prescribing of psychotropic drugs.  Although the drugs can be of great benefit for those requiring care, when abused or administered incorrectly, tragedies may occur.  There are few options for a person who is psychotic.  Counseling must also be an integral part in the use of psychotropic drugs.  While the drugs alter the mind, they do not abolish the feelings of worthlessness or curb the obsessive compulsive behaviors.  Patients who would benefit from psychotropic medications should be required to have face to face ongoing counseling while taking the drugs and encouraged to talk to their psychiatrist or physician about side effects they are experiencing.