Legislature(1997 - 1998)
04/16/1997 08:04 AM House CRA
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HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
STANDING COMMITTEE
April 16, 1997
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Ivan Ivan, Chairman
Representative Fred Dyson
Representative Scott Ogan
Representative Jerry Sanders
Representative Reggie Joule
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Joe Ryan
Representative Al Kookesh
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
*HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 6
"Relating to Alcohol-Related Birth Defects Awareness Week."
- MOVED HCR 6 OUT OF COMMITTEE
(* First public hearing)
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HCR 6
SHORT TITLE: ALCOHOL-RELATED BIRTH DEFECTS AWARENESS
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) NICHOLIA, Grussendorf
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
01/22/97 121 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
01/22/97 121 (H) CRA, HES, FINANCE
04/16/97 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124
WITNESS REGISTER
KATTARYNA BENNETT, Researcher
to Representative Irene Nicholia
Alaska State Legislature
Capitol Building, Room 409
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 6858
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented sponsor statement on HCR 6.
LOREN JONES, Director
Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Department of Health and Social Services
P.O. Box 110607
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0607
Telephone: (907) 465-2071
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HCR 6.
ANNE SCHULTZ, Research Analyst
Advisory Board on Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse
240 Main Street, Number 101
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-5114
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HCR 6.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 97-18, SIDE A
Number 016
CHAIRMAN IVAN IVAN called the House Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Members present
at the call to order were Representatives Joule, Sanders and Dyson.
Representative Ogan arrived at 8:18 a.m. Members absent were
Representatives Ryan and Kookesh.
HCR 6 - ALCOHOL-RELATED BIRTH DEFECTS AWARENESS
Number 035
CHAIRMAN IVAN indicated that the committee would consider HCR 6,
"Relating to Alcohol-Related Birth Defects Awareness Week."
Number 065
KATTARYNA BENNETT, Researcher for Representative Irene Nicholia,
came forward to testify on HCR 6. This resolution requests that
the governor proclaim both the weeks of Mother's Day and Father's
Day as Alcohol Related Birth Defects Awareness Week. Alaska ranks
number one for babies born each year with alcohol related birth
defects. Leaders of the state should be deeply troubled with this
tragic problem, which has reached a crisis level in Alaska, as well
as across the nation. Alcohol can interfere with normal
development of the fetus. Aside from obvious physical deformities
such as facial abnormalities and small body size, alcohol can also
damage a baby's brain causing mental and psychological problems
that last a life time. The affects of alcohol on the baby's
nervous system may include brain damage, mental retardation, poor
coordination and severe learning disabilities.
MS. BENNETT stated that fetal alcohol syndrome is the number one
cause of mental retardation in the Western world and is one of the
three leading causes of birth defects. A child who is born with
alcohol related birth defects will have this disability throughout
their entire life. These disabilities are 100 percent preventable.
Sadly, in Alaska, up to 10 percent of all pregnant women still
consume alcohol through the third trimester of their pregnancy.
MS. BENNETT noted that Alaska has come a long way in the last few
years to bring about public awareness of alcohol related birth
defects but still many women don't understand that there's no safe
amount of alcohol consumption at any time during their pregnancy.
When a woman who is pregnant drinks alcohol it goes directly from
the stomach into the blood stream. The alcohol crosses the blood
stream through the placenta and enters directly into the baby's
blood stream. This problem does not just pertain to the frequent
or heavy drinker. A woman who drinks occasionally can also produce
a baby with alcohol related birth defects.
MS. BENNETT continued that education and public awareness about
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) and other
alcohol related birth defects is critical because these syndromes
are 100 percent preventable. A woman who abstains from drinking
alcohol during her pregnancy has no risk of having an FAS or FAE
baby. Every year that Alaska fails to prevent Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome in the state they produce approximately 30 more babies who
will grow up disabled for life. In 1988, it was estimated that the
life time cost per Alaska FAS births was $1.4 million per baby not
including the cost of welfare, the justice system or other
miscellaneous social costs. Education and awareness are key to
preventing FAS and FAE. She urged the committee's support.
Number 345
CHAIRMAN IVAN asked about the figures which the department may have
gathered in relation to this problem.
Number 390
LOREN JONES, Director, Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse,
Department of Health and Social Services, came forward to testify
on HCR 6. Several years ago the Center for Disease Control, the
Indian Health Service and Department of Health and Social Services
conducted a joint surveillance project to try and identify, as best
as possible, what the prevalence rate for Alaska was. The
published reports reflect a rate of 2.5 FAS births per 1,000 live
births over a 10 year period. Due to constraints on data, what was
marked in medical records and a few other variables, this rate was
reflected in the Native Alaskan community only. The project could
not establish scientifically a rate for non-Natives due to the lack
of date kept in private pediatric offices and hospitals.
CHAIRMAN IVAN assumed that for this type of awareness program they
work with the Native Corporations and their respective clinics.
Number 499
MR. JONES responded that the activities their division tries to
engage is two fold. One, through the Alaska Council and other
prevention grantees, they try to get quality public information
disseminated through radio, television and print ads. Secondly, in
connection with RuRal Cap and their Head Start program, they work
with all of the Head Start programs throughout rural and urban
Alaska. RuRal Cap has taken on the role of providing the public
information to the Regional Health Corporations and their Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome coordinators. In light of "compacting" within the
Native Indian Health Service, the staff at this organization
responsible for FAS tasks are no longer at the Native Indian Health
Service. This function has been designated back to the twelve
corporations. RuRal Cap has taken on this role and the division
works with them to coordinate this effort. He outlined what some
of these efforts were.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON understood there were no good protocols for
diagnosing Alcohol Related Neurological Defects (ARND) or what used
to be called FAE.
Number 627
MR. JONES responded that they've been struggling with this problem
as the research gets better. The diagnostic schemes they had
before just weren't as good. Just recently, the Institute of
Medicine, published a book which addresses the difficulty of
diagnosing what they used to call Fetal Alcohol Effects. This
field has been divided into two areas. One is alcohol related
neuro-developmental disabilities which is a behavioral diagnosis.
Secondly, there are birth defects when a child may have one or more
of the symptoms of FAS but not the whole configuration. If there
are physical abnormalities this is called something else. He noted
on-going efforts to help with better means of diagnosis.
REPRESENTATIVE REGGIE JOULE asked if it took a doctor with a
special background to diagnose these syndromes. He also noted a
hesitancy to diagnose such problems in order to avoid "labeling."
Number 750
MR. JONES responded that significant training is needed to diagnose
these conditions. In the Public Heath and Indian Health Service
clinic they brought a pediatric dysmorphologist from Seattle and
this person did train some people in the clinic, but not many
pediatricians in private practice in urban Alaska have had this
training. He believed that some people were afraid to label as
Representative Joule noted. Doctors don't often ask about the
alcohol behavior of a pregnant woman, which isn't reflected in the
clinical records. One of the disadvantages found during the Center
for Disease Control project was that the Indian Health Service had
taken this issue very seriously and as such their medical
documentation was much better. Once they saw a child or teenager
it was easier for them to go back into the medical records and
produce enough of a history to get a better diagnosis. Once a
child is past the age of seven or eight it is very hard to make
this diagnosis.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE mentioned his past experience on a board and
at that time there was a study done in the Northwest Arctic area.
It was thought that potentially as many as 25 percent of the
children observed might fall into one of these two categories and
asked if Mr. Jones was still hearing this type of percentage.
Number 897
MR. JONES responded that they were still hearing this. It is hard
for them to agree or disagree with a number based on their
inability to get good and timely diagnoses. There are children who
are having significant problems whose parental history would lead
someone to believe that alcohol was consumed during pregnancy, but
whether the behaviors observed and the inability of a child to
respond to normal types of discipline or behavior relate back to
this original possibility are difficult to determine.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE said it was interesting to hear, that in
addition to a female contributing to this problem through
consumption, a father at the time of conception might also
contribute to this problem.
Number 996
CHAIRMAN IVAN noted that no reference was made in this resolution
to other drugs contributing to FAE.
MS. BENNETT responded that in this resolution, they wished to
specifically address alcohol related birth defects. There are many
birth defects that can be attributed to other drug usage during
pregnancy, but they wished to focus on alcohol related birth
defects.
Number 1055
ANNE SCHULTZ, Research Analyst, Advisory Board on Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse, came forward to testify on HCR 6. She read a portion
of a letter addressed to the state Advisory Board on Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse. This letter applauded their efforts to address the
problem of alcohol related birth defects. HCR 6 reminds all of
them that this problem is greater in our state than any other and
Alaska must redouble their efforts to ensure that their newest
citizens are not starting their lives looking forward to poor
mental and physical health with little opportunity.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN stated that he had some dear friends who
adopted two children, a brother and a sister, who suffer from Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome. He's a first hand witness to the affects of this
problem and offered if there was anything they could do to help
they would. He added that this resolution was an applaudable goal.
He summed up that this was a senseless way to impair young people's
lives. He certainly supported this resolution.
Number 1163
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON moved and asked unanimous consent to move HCR
6 from committee with individual recommendations and accompanying
zero fiscal notes. Hearing no objection, HCR 6 was moved of the
House Community and Regional Affairs Committee.
ADJOURNMENT
Number 1178
CHAIRMAN IVAN adjourned the House Community and Regional Affairs
Committee at 8:22 a.m.
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