A timely FYI from my friend, Charlotte Greenbarg re Florida SB 1808: "Don't let seven-year old Gabriel Meyers' death be in vain!"In case you forgot about the absolutely heart-breaking story about seven-year old Gabriel Meyers, just take a peek at this article, video and blog post and it should all come back to you in all its sordid misery and bureaucratic red-tape, http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/initiatives/GMWorkgroup/index.shtml, or see this video from 2009 featuring Florida State Sen. Ronda Storms, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuqRNRCX8Zc
SB 1808: Provision of Psychotropic Medication to Children in Out-of-home Placements
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/1808
Having heard two separate accounts -in-between sobs- from two separate Broward
parents on Thursday night in Hollywood, at Broward Supt. Robert Runcie's last
"Listening Tour" meeting, about their young kids talking about committing suicide because of bullying at school, and the Broward School system's continued inability to handle things -one of the bullies made new threats last week AFTER returning from being suspended!- this tragic case of child suicide in Margate in 2009 reminds us that helping children and protecting them from the practice of over-medicating powerful drugs to numb them, is exactly the sort of black-and-white issue that people in Tallahassee need to finally face-the-music on, before they show their faces around here after the legislative session is over.
Palm Beach Post political reporter Dara Kam wrote the following post Thursday night at their Post on Politics blog about the future of :
House won’t make it harder for state to put foster kids on psych drugs
by Dara Kam | February 9th, 2012
Sen. Ronda Storms’ bill that would make it harder for doctors to put foster kids on mind-altering drugs passed another milestone in the Senate today, but its future is bleak.
http://www.postonpolitics.com/2012/02/house-wont-make-it-harder-for-state-to-put-foster-kids-on-psych-drugs/
And here's the email I found in my inbox when I got home from Hollywood:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Charlotte Greenbarg
Date: Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 7:41 PM
Subject: Don't let Gabriel Meyers' death be in vain!
To: Charlotte Greenbarg
Cc: storms.ronda.web@flsenate.gov
There is an important vote in the House of Representatives and I urge you not to forget GABRIEL MEYERS, A 7 YEAR OLD FOSTER CHILD WHO HUNG HIMSELF while under the influence of pych drugs not approved by FDA --and prescribed by a Broward doctor who still believes there was nothing wrong with multiple adults drugs prescribed to a 7 year old.
Senator Ronda Storms has done an outstanding job in bringing the issue of psych drugs and foster care children to everyone's attention in Tallahassee, but her pleas may be ignored without your call or email. This child died in Broward County---- and it is our obligation not to allow his death to be ignored .....until the next child dies.
Please contact your representatives; if you don't know who they are, follow this link : http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx
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