PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Effective July 1, Oregon will have a new law and new rules to ensure closer scrutiny of psychiatric drugs given to children in foster care.
The change follows a November 2007 investigation by The Oregonian that found children in foster care were prescribed powerful psychiatric medications at four times the rate of other children covered by Medicaid.
A state audit the next year found one in five children in foster care was prescribed at least one psychiatric medication.
Under the new law, children must have a mental health assessment before they are given any anti-psychotic drug or more than one of another type of psychiatric drug. There will also be mandatory medication reviews for children younger than 6 who are taking psychiatric medications and for older kids with more than two psychiatric prescriptions.
