Category Archives: St. Petersburg Times
Vigil will be held in memory of boy
St. Petersburg Times CLEARWATER Times staff One of four statewide candlelight vigils in memory of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers, a foster child in state care who reportedly hanged himself while on three powerful psychotropic medicines, will be held from 7 to … Continue reading
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In wake of child’s suicide, Legislature moves to limit foster care’s reliance on psychiatric drugs
St. Petersburg Times By Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE — A year after a 7-year-old boy heavily medicated on powerful psychiatric drugs hanged himself in his Margate foster home, lawmakers are pushing to reform state medical requirements for foster … Continue reading
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Role of drug questioned in boy’s suicide
St. Petersburg Times FORT LAUDERDALE — It is unclear whether powerful psychotropic medications played a role in the death of a 7-year-old foster child, and the boy may have hanged himself for attention, according to a medical examiner’s report released … Continue reading
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Panel says foster care workers ignored drug policies for kids
St. Petersburg Times By Kris Hundley Foster care workers at all levels routinely ignored policies designed to protect children in their care from being given psychotropic drugs without proper consent or monitoring. That was the conclusion of a panel looking … Continue reading
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Officials working on better way to track foster kids’ medical, court histories
St. Petersburg Times By Ileana Morales TAMPA — The group formed after the 7-year-old boy’s suicide in April. The idea was to examine his death and prevent similar ones, but the group has found itself struggling to solve the problem … Continue reading
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DCF’s child-drugging problems
St. Petersburg Times Child-welfare doctors and case managers routinely failed to complete legally required treatment plans, share information or properly document the prescribing of powerful psychiatric drugs for children, according to a new state study of 6- and 7-year-olds medicated … Continue reading
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DCF says its rules on children’s drugs are often ignored
St. Petersburg Times In Print: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 TALLAHASSEE — Child-welfare doctors and case managers routinely failed to complete legally required treatment plans, share information or properly document the prescribing of powerful psychiatric drugs for children, according to a … Continue reading
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Foster care failures
St. Petersburg Times Foster care failures | June 7, editorial We must all make children a priority As always, you lay out the problems confronting our child protection system fairly accurately and with surgical precision. I marvel at your knowledge … Continue reading
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A Times Editorial – Foster care failures
St. Petersburg Times In Print: Sunday, June 7, 2009 Two disturbing facts about the Florida foster care system have emerged following the suicide of a 7-year-old boy on psychiatric drugs. First is the extraordinary prescription rate for children under the … Continue reading
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More Florida foster children take psychiatric medications than previously thought
St. Petersburg Times Kris Hundley, Times Staff Writer Files show lack of consent for prescriptions Nearly 400 more foster kids are on psychotropic drugs than was believed a week ago, as the Department of Children and Families continues to review … Continue reading
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