Blogs by Deborah K. Frontiera
Fighting CPS
12/19/2014 11:29:29 AM
Dec. 19, 2014
The purpose of this blog has been to provide updates on some of the cases I reported in my book (Fighting CPS: Guilty Until Proven Innocent of Child Protective Services Charges ISBN 9-780-9800061-6-2) that had not been resolved when the book went to press, and to report other cases where CPS is not working up to par. I’d also like to hear about cases in which Child Protective Services did the right thing so those cases can serve as examples of what should be done. Occasionally, I will report helpful tips and web sites with advice on fighting CPS. To comment on this blog, or to tell your story, email Deborah Frontiera at frontiera.fightingcps.deborah.gmail.com
Why are the "medical" cases so hard for CPS to figure out and listen to what doctors are saying? Here's a case with echoes of ours, but much more difficult than ours.
Texas mother fighting CPS for custody of her child
4-month-old girl taken from parents under allegations of medical neglect
Posted: October 31, 2014 - 7:37pm | Updated: October 31, 2014 - 11:20pm
By ELLYSA GONZALEZ
A-J MEDIA
Lorie Blalock said her twin toddler boys wake up in the middle of the night looking for “sissy.”
They walk to her bouncer or try to climb in her swing, crying for her, Blalock said.
“We finally got to see her on Wednesday,” she said via phone interview Friday afternoon.
Four-month-old Kathryn Hughes is currently in the custody of Child Protective Services under allegations that her parents medically neglect her.
Blalock calls it a case of “medical kidnapping” and is getting ready for a legal fight so she and Kathryn’s father won’t have to go through parenting classes, psychological evaluations and counseling to regain custody of their child.
“She’s spent her whole life, except maybe a couple of weeks, in and out of hospitals,” Blalock said of her daughter.
Kathryn was born with a cleft palate — a hole in the roof of her mouth, Blalock said. She also has Pierre Robin syndrome, a condition characterized by a smaller-than-normal jaw, Blalock said.
“It sets her jaw back, which causes breathing problems,” Blalock said. “The hole in her mouth causes problems gaining weight. Now she’s on a feeding tube. She has a g-tube going into her stomach. She’ll have a palate repair at a year (old). Those two conditions go right along with she had no soft spots at birth. She will eventually have to have surgery where they go in and cut her head open.”
The procedure will allow doctors to make room for the child’s brain to grow, Blalock said.
But one of the more puzzling pieces of her birth is the seizures, Blalock said.
“They never found out what causes them,” she explained.
Her daughter’s condition prompted a medical flight for treatment at University Medical Center, Blalock said.
Paul Zimmerman, spokesman for the Region 1 Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said the family skipped medical appointments to meet with specialists about the baby’s conditions.
When Kathryn ended up back in the hospital, the family was sent home with full guidelines and medications to control her seizures and treat other symptoms, he said.
During one seizure, Kathryn quit breathing, Blalock said.
“It took 30 minutes to get her back,” Blalock said.
Concerns by hospital staff and CPS officials rose when Kathryn returned.
“The child winds up back at UMC after the mom lowered the dosage,” Zimmerman said.
Blalock claimed she regularly gave her daughter the .8 milligram doses of Phenobarbital prescribed to control her seizures.
“They said I wasn’t even giving her her Phenobarbital medicine for her seizures,” Blalock said.
Blalock claims she had two adult witnesses with whom officials refused to speak. She said the officials observed her medicine administration routine.
Tests for doses within her daughter’s body showed her levels half a milligram low, Blalock said.
Blalock claims Kathryn was getting rid of more fluid than she was taking in and that’s why the levels were lower than anticipated.
She questioned the doctors caring for her child and asked to have Kathryn released to seek a second opinion from her primary doctors, Blalock said.
Blalock also claims doctors tried to switch Kathryn from breast milk to formula — something she felt uncomfortable with due to her daughter’s lactose intolerance.
Officials told Blalock she was being difficult, she said. She believes that’s why Kathryn is no longer in her custody as of Sept. 21.
Zimmerman said Kathryn was removed from custody of her parents due to concerns about their ability and willingness to provide necessary medical care.
“The parents are obviously upset,” Zimmerman said.
From a CPS standpoint, the removal was based on the child’s welfare, he said.
“Mom and the dad have failed to follow through with medical care for Kathryn, with the failure presenting a substantial risk of death or in observable and material impairment to the growth, development and functioning of Kathryn Hughes,” Zimmerman wrote in an email prior to the phone interview.
Kathryn is in temporary foster care, he said. Parental rights have not been terminated and can still be restored, he said.
“Child safety and welfare come first,” Zimmerman said.
Blalock said she understands CPS guidelines and understands the criteria for a child going into CPS care.
But she’s upset because she believes CPS took her child without just cause. She also claims Kathryn has been living in filthy conditions and believes she can provide a better environment at home.
“They want me to take responsibility for them removing her,” she said. “I’m not going to admit to something I didn’t do wrong. I just want to get her home.”
ellysa.gonzalez.lubbockonline.com
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