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Subject: SNET: Forcing doctors to ask kids about guns
Date: 1 May 2001 11:56:52 -0400
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Forcing doctors to ask kids about guns


http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=22632

Pending bill requires pediatricians to query patients on state program
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Julie Foster
© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com

The high cost of a controversial bill in the California State Senate
that would require pediatricians, in thousands of health screenings per
year, to question kids on family gun ownership landed the measure
yesterday in what is euphemistically called the "bone yard" of the state
legislature, giving it one more hurdle to clear before heading to the
full Senate.

Californians balked last year when Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg,
D-Sacramento, proposed a substantially similar bill to Senate Bill 765
by Sen. Wesley Chesbro, D-Santa Rosa. Sent to the "suspense file" in the
Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday, SB 765 resurrects a concept
eventually removed from the vetoed Steinberg bill -- codification of the
American Academy of Pediatrics publication "Recommendations for
preventive pediatric health care." That report specifically includes
recommendations made in the AAP's 1999 publication, "The Role of the
Pediatrician in Youth Violence Prevention in Clinical Practice," which
outlines measures to be taken by pediatricians in violence prevention,
including advocacy of gun-control proposals.

Since the bill incurs an estimated annual cost of $8.6 million, it was
automatically sent to the suspense file, as are all bills proposing
costs of $150,000 or more.

According to the AAP, the violence-prevention publication "establishes
an agenda for making this a routine part of pediatric practice in four
major areas: clinical services, community advocacy, research and
education. This broad agenda builds on a still-evolving body of
knowledge, but the urgency of youth violence prevention requires further
and immediate action by pediatricians."

"Because many pediatricians encounter children and youth who are
experiencing or are at risk for violence, pediatricians are well
situated to intervene," states the document. "Prevention of youth
violence requires that pediatricians recognize violence-related risk
factors and diagnose and treat violence-related problems at all stages
of child development."

Among the screening criteria listed in the report to identify "risk
factors for violence among their patients" are:

   * "family stresses that could lead to violence (e.g.,
     unemployment, divorce or death);
   * appropriate supervision and care and support systems (e.g.,
     child care arrangements, the family and social network);
   * disciplinary attitudes and practices of the parents or
     caregivers (particularly about corporal punishment and
     physical/emotional abuse);
   * exposure to violence in the home (domestic violence or child
     abuse), school or community;
   * degree of exposure to media violence;
   * access to firearms (especially handguns) in their or a
     neighbor's home, or the community."

The Chesbro bill is intended to allay the concerns of the federal Health
Care Financing Administration, according to the assemblyman's staff.
Currently, some participants in the state's health-care program,
Medi-Cal, are treated according to the AAP guidelines, but others are
not. The agency sent a letter saying treatment for Medi-Cal
beneficiaries should be the same across the board. Such a change would
result in 248,000 more health screens for children ages 0-12, and 17,000
more for children ages 13-20, who use the state's low-income health-care
program, staff said.

While acknowledging the importance of health care and safety for
children, a public-policy group believes the bill sets a "dangerous
precedent." SB 765 requires the AAP recommendations to be used when
setting state health-care standards and that those standards "shall be
updated as necessary to be consistent with any changes made by the
American Academy of Pediatrics."

"It asks state legislators to abdicate their right to set state policy,"
said Karen Holgate of Capitol Resource Institute. According to the bill,
the AAP recommendations would be included only after review by the state
board that approves the health standards.

"While the [violence-prevention recommendations] may be legitimate areas
of concern, one wonders about the appropriateness of requiring all
pediatricians to grill their patients about their homes and families
without due cause," Holgate continued.

The AAP report begins by stating, "Each child and family is unique;
therefore, these Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care
are designed for the care of children who are receiving competent
parenting, have no manifestations of any important health problems, and
are growing and developing in satisfactory fashion. Additional visits
may become necessary if circumstances suggest variations from normal."

Consistent with its health-screening requirements referred to by the
Chesbro bill, the AAP also includes a sweeping gun-control proposal in
its list of model legislation. Titled the "Protection of Children from
Handguns Act," one measure states that, "except in the hands of law
enforcement officers or others specifically authorized by law, handguns
serve no legitimate or lawful purpose, and constitute a hazard to the
public health and welfare of the people, and especially of the children,
of this State. [O]nly the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and
possession of handguns will remove handguns from the homes and streets
of this State, thereby reducing the risks of injury and death to
children from handguns."

The proposal would impose felony criminal penalties amounting up to
$10,000 and/or two years in prison for manufacturing handguns and up to
$2,500 and/or two years in prison for people who "enter into commerce,
ship, transport, transfer, sell, sell at a gunshow, lease, or
distribute" handguns. Possession of a handgun would qualify as a
misdemeanor and result in up to a $1,000 fine and/or one year in prison
for each offense.

Like its predecessor, SB 765 is expected to be approved by the Senate
and will likely move from the Appropriations Committee to the full
Senate in late May.

Related stories:

A different kind of doctors' group

When pediatricians become politicians
                              ------------

Julie Foster is a staff reporter for WorldNetDaily.


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Forcing doctors to ask kids about
guns

 
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=22632
Pending
bill requires pediatricians to query patients on state program



By
Julie Foster

©
2001 WorldNetDaily.com
The
high cost of a controversial bill in the California
State Senate that would require pediatricians, in thousands of health
screenings per year, to question kids on family gun ownership landed the
measure yesterday in what is euphemistically called the "bone yard" of
the state legislature, giving it one more hurdle to clear before heading
to the full Senate.
Californians
balked last year when Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, proposed
a substantially similar bill to Senate
Bill 765 by Sen.
Wesley Chesbro, D-Santa Rosa. Sent to the "suspense file" in the Senate
Appropriations Committee yesterday, SB 765 resurrects a concept eventually
removed from the vetoed Steinberg bill -- codification of the American
Academy of Pediatrics publication "Recommendations
for preventive pediatric health care." That report specifically includes
recommendations made in the AAP's 1999 publication, "The
Role of the Pediatrician in Youth Violence Prevention in Clinical Practice,"
which outlines measures to be taken by pediatricians in violence prevention,
including advocacy of gun-control proposals.
Since
the bill incurs an estimated annual cost of $8.6 million, it was automatically
sent to the suspense file, as are all bills proposing costs of $150,000
or more.
According
to the AAP, the violence-prevention publication "establishes an agenda
for making this a routine part of pediatric practice in four major areas:
clinical services, community advocacy, research and education. This broad
agenda builds on a still-evolving body of knowledge, but the urgency of
youth violence prevention requires further and immediate action by pediatricians."
"Because
many pediatricians encounter children and youth who are experiencing or
are at risk for violence, pediatricians are well situated to intervene,"
states the document. "Prevention of youth violence requires that pediatricians
recognize violence-related risk factors and diagnose and treat violence-related
problems at all stages of child development."
Among
the screening criteria listed in the report to identify "risk factors for
violence among their patients" are:


"family
stresses that could lead to violence (e.g., unemployment, divorce or death);


appropriate
supervision and care and support systems (e.g., child care arrangements,
the family and social network);


disciplinary
attitudes and practices of the parents or caregivers (particularly about
corporal punishment and physical/emotional abuse);


exposure
to violence in the home (domestic violence or child abuse), school or community;


degree
of exposure to media violence;


access
to firearms (especially handguns) in their or a neighbor's home, or the
community."

The
Chesbro bill is intended to allay the concerns of the federal Health
Care Financing Administration, according to the assemblyman's staff.
Currently, some participants in the state's health-care program, Medi-Cal,
are treated according to the AAP guidelines, but others are not. The agency
sent a letter saying treatment for Medi-Cal beneficiaries should be the
same across the board. Such a change would result in 248,000 more health
screens for children ages 0-12, and 17,000 more for children ages 13-20,
who use the state's low-income health-care program, staff said.
While
acknowledging the importance of health care and safety for children, a
public-policy group believes the bill sets a "dangerous precedent." SB
765 requires the AAP recommendations to be used when setting state health-care
standards and that those standards "shall be updated as necessary to be
consistent with any changes made by the American Academy of Pediatrics."
"It
asks state legislators to abdicate their right to set state policy," said
Karen Holgate of Capitol Resource
Institute. According to the bill, the AAP recommendations would be
included only after review by the state board that approves the health
standards.
"While
the [violence-prevention recommendations] may be legitimate areas of concern,
one wonders about the appropriateness of requiring all pediatricians to
grill their patients about their homes and families without due cause,"
Holgate continued.
The
AAP report begins by stating, "Each child and family is unique; therefore,
these Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care are designed
for the care of children who are receiving competent parenting, have no
manifestations of any important health problems, and are growing and developing
in satisfactory fashion. Additional visits may become necessary if circumstances
suggest variations from normal."
Consistent
with its health-screening requirements referred to by the Chesbro bill,
the AAP also includes a sweeping gun-control proposal in its list of model
legislation. Titled the "Protection
of Children from Handguns Act," one measure states that, "except in
the hands of law enforcement officers or others specifically authorized
by law, handguns serve no legitimate or lawful purpose, and constitute
a hazard to the public health and welfare of the people, and especially
of the children, of this State. [O]nly the prohibition of the manufacture,
sale, and possession of handguns will remove handguns from the homes and
streets of this State, thereby reducing the risks of injury and death to
children from handguns."
The
proposal would impose felony criminal penalties amounting up to $10,000
and/or two years in prison for manufacturing handguns and up to $2,500
and/or two years in prison for people who "enter into commerce, ship, transport,
transfer, sell, sell at a gunshow, lease, or distribute" handguns. Possession
of a handgun would qualify as a misdemeanor and result in up to a $1,000
fine and/or one year in prison for each offense.
Like
its predecessor, SB 765 is expected to be approved by the Senate and will
likely move from the Appropriations Committee to the full Senate in late
May.
Related
stories:
A
different kind of doctors' group
When
pediatricians become politicians




Julie
Foster is a staff reporter for WorldNetDaily.
-> To unsubscribe send email to snetnews-unsubscribe@topica.com
==^================================================================
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Or send an email To: snetnews-unsubscribe@topica.com
This email was sent to: gateway@horus.bticc.net

T O P I C A  -- Learn More. Surf Less.
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose.
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
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