Latest news with #PICC
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
WA facility caring for drug-exposed newborns at risk of closure after state funding cut
(Getty Images) The only medical facility focused on caring for drug-exposed babies in western Washington is pleading for help after Gov. Bob Ferguson vetoed its funding and the state abruptly canceled its contract. And a group of GOP lawmakers is urging Ferguson to find a way to keep the Kent facility operating. For decades, the Pediatric Interim Care Center has tended to babies born to mothers with substance use disorder. Just under half of its annual $1.7 million budget has usually come from the state, said Development Director Elaine Purchase. Fundraising makes up the rest. But this year, lawmakers slashed that funding to $100,000 in the face of a steep budget shortfall. The facility, known as PICC, was ready to make do with the deep cut and dip into its reserves, with the hope of making up for it when the Legislature returns next year. Then last month, Ferguson vetoed even that $100,000, as part of a slew of small items he removed to save money in the $78 billion two-year spending plan. And soon after, Purchase was 'blindsided' when the state Department of Children, Youth and Families cut its contract with the nursery, meaning no more babies would be referred there starting July 1. 'Which basically destroys our program,' Purchase said. 'Why would they abandon it for $100,000?' In a statement, the Department of Children, Youth and Families argued the center's state funding was 'not cost-effective.' Secretary Tana Senn said the center received money for its 13 beds regardless of how many babies it was serving, and didn't meet requirements to get Medicaid funding. 'We also want to clarify that DCYF is not shutting down the Kent PICC,' said Senn, a former state lawmaker. 'They can still accept referrals from hospitals and have informed DCYF on multiple occasions that they have sufficient charitable funding to continue serving children.' On Friday, state House Republican leadership, including Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, of Auburn, took issue with the rationale and urged the state agency and Ferguson to reverse course. 'Governor Ferguson, throughout your first legislative session as governor, you said that you just wanted to do things that are 'common sense,'' the half-dozen lawmakers wrote. 'What is more common sense than using the power you hold to save the lives of innocent newborn babies?' The facility, open for 35 years, was caring for just one newborn Friday, said Purchase. It has been underused as the focus has shifted to keeping babies with their parents. Research has indicated parental involvement is integral in an infant's development. 'New evidence-based models demonstrate better outcomes for babies when they 'room in' at hospitals under the care of a physician or are in transitional care homes that allow the mother and baby to stay together,' Senn said. 'While hospitals, of course, may choose to continue to refer children to the Kent PICC, they have been doing so much less frequently as demonstrated by the current empty beds at the Kent PICC,' the agency secretary continued. 'Instead, hospitals more often refer infants to other facilities that use the current standard of care.' In 2021, the Legislature passed a measure known as the Keeping Families Together Act to help relatives take care of children who can't stay with their parents and to reduce racial disparities in the child welfare system. Critics blame the bipartisan law for a reported increase in child deaths, including from drug exposure. The average stay for babies at the Kent pediatric care center is 30 to 40 days. Most are exposed to fentanyl or methamphetamine. Since opening in 1990, the facility says it has cared for over 3,500 babies. 'We just want there to be a safe place for these little ones,' Purchase said. The governor did not provide comment on Friday, with a spokesperson for his office referring to the statement from the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- TimesLIVE
67 boys rescued, 14 illegal initiation schools closed in North West
As the winter initiation season starts, the provincial initiation co-ordinating committee (PICC) rescued 67 boys from illegal initiation schools at Bojanala Platinum in North West. It is believed bogus principals of the schools abducted them and demanded huge ransoms from parents. Deputy chairperson of the PICC, Andries Stemmer, said 'The PICC is inundated with calls from parents and police reporting cases of missing young boys believed to have been abducted by principals of bogus schools who demand a huge ransom from parents.' The committee closed 14 illegal initiation schools as they were not compliant with the Customary Initiation Act, which provides for effective regulation of customary initiation practices. 'During a recent oversight visit to Tigane near Klerksdorp, the committee uncovered serious noncompliance at two initiation schools operating without the required documentation. The schools were closed and cases were opened against the bogus principals, reinforcing the committee's zero-tolerance stance on unregulated initiation practices,' said Stemmer. Inspections are being intensified across the province after the incident. 'No school will be allowed to operate without proper documentation, and those found in violation will face legal consequences,' Stemmer said. He emphasised the importance of a collaborative approach with all roleplayers to ensure safe and dignified initiation processes. 'We urge all stakeholders, including traditional leaders, religious leaders, civil society and the media, to support the creation of a safe environment and stop bogus principals who want to commercialise the practice. Together, we can prevent malpractice and eliminate harmful misconceptions about the cultural practice. 'We support the national message 'A ba bowe ba phela', which means all initiates must return home alive. We are doing everything in our power to ensure initiates are under the good care of experienced principals', he said. In North West, 103 initiation schools were approved to operate in three districts, excluding the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district. For non-schoolgoing initiates, the initiation season started on May 9, and for schoolgoing initiates it will start on Friday. All initiation schools will close on July 18. The monitoring operation will continue until the schools are closed.
Eyewitness News
11-06-2025
- General
- Eyewitness News
Over 100 school applications approved for Gauteng winter initiation season
JOHANNESBURG - More than 100 initiation school applications have been approved for this winter customary initiation season in Gauteng. With the application process officially closed, the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) said the winter season will begin during the June school holidays. The PICC also added that initiates who are above the school-attending age will start on different dates. The committee's spokesperson, Kiba Kekana, explained that their winter school dates are in line with the Customary Initiation Act. 'We have aligned our dates with the school holidays calendar, starting from the 28th of June and initiation programs will end on the 21st of July. But we also take a note that there are those who are not of school-going age and we decided as the PICC that their commencement date, their start date, should be the 1st of May 2025 and the closing date will be the same as those of the school-going age, that is the 21st of July.'
The Citizen
29-05-2025
- The Citizen
Gauteng man arrested for illegal initiation school and taking in children
The man was arrested in Soshanguve and allegedly initiated children as young as four. The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities is welcoming the arrest of the owner of an allegedly illegal initiation school in Gauteng taking in underage children. A 39-year-old man, who operated his initiation school in Soshanguve in Tshwane, was reportedly arrested yesterday and the school closed. Children as young as four The man, who made headlines after community members claimed he had initiated a four-year-old baby and an 11-year-old, was arrested on Tuesday and is expected to appear in court soon. 'What he did was wrong. There is no culture allowing the initiation of underage children,' said George Mahlangu, deputy chair of the commission. Commission praises swift arrest and closure 'We commend the authorities for attending to the matter. To make things worse this man did not have a permit to operate such a school and he is also underage because to be a principal you need to be at least 40 years old or above, while he is only 39.' Mahlangu urged initiation school owners to respect the law to preserve the good reputation of African culture. ALSO READ: Boy runs away to join initiation school, family given list of items to secure his return Department warns of legal consequences Gauteng department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs spokesperson Mary Martins said: 'The safety of our children is our priority and focus. Any underage child or minor found on the premises will be taken for health screening before being handed over to their parents or legal guardians. We believe this may be an isolated incident.' Martins said the department's provincial initiation coordinating committee (PICC) monitors initiation schools in the province to ensure they comply with the law. She said those who transgress the Customary Initiation Act, 2021, would be dealt with according to legislative provisions. Community urged to report violations Martins said the department, supported by a team of police officers, the department of health and social development, responds to alerts from community members and other community-based forums where unregistered initiation schools, abuse of initiates and abductions have been identified. 'The department would like to urge community members to inform the department of any unregistered or abuse within initiation schools. 'Members of the community or any affected person may report cases to the department via e-mail at Initiation@ za or, via phone, Mluleki Ngomane at 079 874 3680 or Lebogang Bogopane at 079 524 0736.' PICC spokesperson Kiba Kekana said the committee and the department had strengthened the rules and no school could register teens under the age of 16. NOW READ: Calls for 'stronger crime preventions' amid Soshanguve killings
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- The Citizen
Police shut down bogus initiation school, owner (51) arrested
Mamelodi East police have successfully shut down a bogus initiation school and arrested a 51-year-old man on charges of Contravention of the Customary Initiation Act earlier this week. Police spokesperson Constable Penelope Khulong said during the arrest last Saturday, 10 boys aged between 11 and 17 were at the school. She said the initiates were given medical attention and then taken to their families. Khulong said the arrest came after a parent had complained that her son had been accepted into an initiation school without her completing a consent form. The complaint was submitted to the Gauteng Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) under the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA). Khulong said a representative of CoGTA received information, and the representatives of the PICC located the school in Mamelodi East. She said the delegation discovered that the school is not on the official list of approved winter initiation schools in the province as published by the CoGTA. She said the suspect could not produce the relevant documentation that is required for the school to operate. 'The PICC representatives informed the suspect that the initiation school was operating illegally and took the complainant's son home,' she said. Khulong said that because of the seriousness of the incident, the PICC representatives reported the matter to Mamelodi East police, who apprehended the suspect on May 21. She said the rescued initiates were given medical attention. Mamelodi East police station commander Brigadier Terence Naidoo applauded the collaborative effort between the CoGTA and police. Naidoo highlighted that this is a period in which different communities around the country observe their customary practices through initiation. He said as much as culture is sacred and different practices are respected, they should still be conducted within the bounds of the law and also put the well-being of initiates first. He indicated that the arrest sends a stern warning to all schools that police will stop at nothing to protect lives in the communities. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
