Shining a Light

Data reported by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in 2013, with the most current data available. Click the image to download the full report in PDF.

I've written before about the condition known as NAS, or Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, which is diagnosed when a child is born drug dependent because of their mother's substance abuse during the pregnancy.  A recent report by the Lexington Herald-Leader draws further attention to this growing problem - and it is a growing problem.

As you can see from just a cursory look at the report at right, the occurrence of NAS is climbing quickly, and until now we only had data through 2011.  For reasons I have yet to uncover, a statute passed in 2013 closed the door to this data, preventing the anonymized statistics of these cases from being disclosed to the public, thereby concealing the growing problem and the need to help these children and their families.

Well, no more.  The moment I learned of that 2013 statute I went to work on a bill to fix it.  That bill draft was filed this year (2014) and became Senate Bill 47, allowing the anonymous data related to NAS diagnoses to be shared with the public, including policy makers in the Legislative and Executive branches, so that going forward we can make the best, well-informed decisions.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a ceremonial bill signing for SB 47 with the Governor. (Click the image to enlarge).

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While SB47 was an important first step, I will continue to work on legislation aimed at protecting and helping the most vulnerable Kentuckians – especially the unborn and the newborn who have no control over their own lives yet stand to suffer the most from substance abuse.  

Be watching in 2015 as I continue this fight!

KCAA 2014 Distinguished Legislator of the Year

LEXINGTON, KY — Third District State Senator Whitney Westerfield was selected as the 2014 Legislator of the Year by the Kentucky County Attorney Association (KCAA) on Thursday, August 21, at the annual Prosecutors Conference in Lexington. The award was made by Christian County Attorney J. Michael Foster, President of the KCAA.

Foster praised Senator Westerfield, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for being “sensitive and attuned to the needs of prosecutors in the state.”  During the 2014 General Assembly session, Senator Westerfield spearheaded significant revisions of the state juvenile justice code designed to reduce the number of juvenile status offenders who are incarcerated by the Commonwealth. 

Senator Westerfield’s Senate Bill 200 was the result of a two year-long study of juvenile offender issues by the Task Force on the Unified Juvenile, created by the 2012 General Assembly and reauthorized by the 2013 General Assembly.  Senate Bill 200 passed the 2014 General Assembly and was signed into law by the Governor. Foster noted that Senator Westerfield did an “amazing job” of listening to the concerns of the county attorneys as the issue was being studied and the bill was being drafted, and incorporating prosecutors’ suggestions into the substance of the bill.

Foster also praised Senator Westerfield for his work on legislation in the 2014 General Assembly impacting the traffic safety programs run by county attorneys. Fees from these programs help cover the county attorney office expenses.  Foster stated that Westerfield “went to war for us” over this legislation in order to protect this funding stream.

Senator Westerfield, a former Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Christian County, expressed his gratitude to the KCAA for the award and his camaraderie with the prosecutors who daily work to protect the safety of communities and families across Kentucky saying, "As a former prosecutor, I am particularly proud of this award, and thankful I can continue fighting for public safety in the Kentucky Senate.