Re: “Surge in deaths of children on WA’s watch demands action” (July 27, Opinion):
The rise in little one deaths and near-deaths below Washington’s watch is heartbreaking — and calls for motion.
Behind the statistics are households below immense pressure. Rising prices, housing loss, meals insecurity and gaps in well being care deepen stress and make it tougher for caregivers to supply protected, secure properties. When fundamental wants go unmet, kids pay the worth.
The state Legislature has an essential position to play. In 2024, lawmakers handed ESSB 6109, requiring courts to offer nice weight to the presence of opioids when deciding little one removing. The regulation promised to pair this intervention with supportive companies — residence visiting, public well being nurses and little one care — to strengthen households and cut back hurt. However these companies by no means materialized, and finances cuts ended the funding the very subsequent 12 months, leaving a promising framework deserted.
If we actually wish to shield kids, we should transfer past reactive insurance policies and spend money on helps that stabilize households. Protected housing and quick entry to substance use therapy applications the place mother and father can stay with their kids are among the many most important. Prevention works — however provided that we comply with by way of.
Emiko Tajima, government director, and Kim Justice, director of public coverage, Companions for Our Kids, Seattle
