Hearing on a new bill that could restrict foster kids from getting meds

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Air date: 
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 5:00pm

There was ahearing in Salem on Friday on a new bill that would regulate how children in foster care can be prescribed drugs like ritalin [RIT-a-lin] and prozac.
Representatives Tina Kotek [KO-tek] of Portland and Carolyn Tomei [toe-MAY] of Salem are co-sponsoring the bill.
They were concerned about children in state custody taking psychotropic drugs that might not be appropriate.
Their bill would require children to be evaluated by a mental health professional before they could take psychotropic drugs, and set tighter standards for the drugs being age appropriate.
 It would also require annual medication reviews for children taking more than one drug.
But would the bill improve the lives of children in foster care?
 

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