135.119 - SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME PREVENTION PROGRAM.

        135.119  SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME PREVENTION PROGRAM.
         1.  For the purposes of this section:
         a.  "Birth center" and "birthing hospital" mean the same
      as defined in section 135.131.
         b.  "Child care provider" means the same as a child care
      facility, as defined in section 237A.1, that is providing child care
      to a child who is newborn through age three.
         c.  "Family support program" means a program offering
      instruction and support for families in which home visitation is the
      primary service delivery mechanism.
         d.  "Parent" means the same as "custodian",
      "guardian", or "parent", as defined in section 232.2, of a
      child who is newborn through age three.
         e.  "Person responsible for the care of a child" means the
      same as defined in section 232.68, except that it is limited to
      persons responsible for the care of a child who is newborn through
      age three.
         f.  "Shaken baby syndrome" means the collection of signs and
      symptoms resulting from the vigorous shaking of a child who is three
      years of age or younger.  Shaken baby syndrome may result in bleeding
      inside the child's head and may cause one or more of the following
      conditions:  irreversible brain damage; blindness, retinal
      hemorrhage, or eye damage; cerebral palsy; hearing loss; spinal cord
      injury, including paralysis; seizures; learning disability; central
      nervous system injury; closed head injury; rib fracture; subdural
      hematoma; or death.  Shaken baby syndrome also includes the symptoms
      included in the diagnosis code for shaken infant syndrome utilized by
      Iowa hospitals.
         2. a.  The department shall establish a statewide shaken baby
      syndrome prevention program to educate parents and persons
      responsible for the care of a child about the dangers to children
      three years of age or younger caused by shaken baby syndrome and to
      discuss ways to reduce the syndrome's risks.  The program plan shall
      allow for voluntary participation by parents and persons responsible
      for the care of a child.
         b.  The program plan shall describe strategies for preventing
      shaken baby syndrome by providing education and support to parents
      and persons responsible for the care of a child and shall identify
      multimedia resources, written materials, and other resources that can
      assist in providing the education and support.
         c.  The department shall consult with experts with experience
      in child abuse prevention, child health, and parent education in
      developing the program plan.
         d.  The program plan shall incorporate a multiyear,
      collaborative approach for implementation of the plan.  The plan
      shall address how to involve those who regularly work with parents
      and persons responsible for the care of a child, including but not
      limited to child abuse prevention programs, child care resource and
      referral programs, child care providers, family support programs,
      programs receiving funding through the community empowerment
      initiative, public and private schools, health care providers, local
      health departments, birth centers, and birthing hospitals.
         e.  The program plan shall identify the methodology to be used
      for improving the tracking of shaken baby syndrome incidents and for
      evaluating the effectiveness of the plan's education and support
      efforts.
         f.  The program plan shall describe how program results will
      be reported.
         g.  The program plan may provide for implementation of the
      program through a contract with a private agency or organization
      experienced in furnishing the services set forth in the program plan.

         3.  The department shall implement the program plan to the extent
      of the amount appropriated or made available for the program for a
      fiscal year.  
         Section History: Recent Form
         2009 Acts, ch 7, §1