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For Immediate Release
September 8, 2009
Senator Lloyd Smucker
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Week
September 8, 2009
People find a lot of good reasons to come and pay a visit
to Lancaster County. So we never really roll up the red carpet. Those coming
in to see the sights and those coming in to do business are welcomed with equal
enthusiasm.
Agriculture, the Amish, the arts, for these things and
more, we are known far and wide.
What is not so well known is the tremendous array of
medical facilities and medical talent in the area. Lancaster General Hospital
is a flagship health care provider, economic engine, and valued community
partner, yet it is just the beginning of the story of quality care provided by
hospitals, health clinics, specialty practices, and more.
Even more, there is a wealth of non-profit groups providing
the widest range of human services. Countless capable individuals tackling some
of the toughest problems to solve. In this field of addiction treatment, most
consider Gaudenzia to be one of the best in the business. We are grateful for
their presence and their work.
While we are happy to have a group of prominent
professionals gather here, the purpose makes this event bittersweet. The
commitment being made by the Commonwealth and local communities is crucial.
That there is such a need for this concentration is immensely frustrating to
many.
Even with all the talent and technology we deploy, the best
health care system in the world is frequently baffled by the lack of basic
common sense on the part of too many individuals. It is worst when the risks
taken have horrible consequences for an unborn child.
When a new life enters this world, the blessed event is
wrapped in joy and hopes. It is thus absolutely heartbreaking to think of a
life of pain and limitations and constant struggles simply because a mother
could not stop drinking. From the awesome miracle of conception to the agony of
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a downward spiral no infant should suffer.
For years now, we have pounded the message about the risks
of smoking, drinking, and drug use during pregnancy. But when you look at the
sad statistics, there are many places where this message has not been heard, or
has been drowned out by desperation, depression, or demons we do not understand.
The dollars cost and the dreams lost are truly tragic.
As the health care debate intensifies, whether in the end
we have an Obama plan, or a congressional plan, or a Pennsylvania plan, or
something else yet to be constructed, we cannot truly hope to control costs if
we did not do a better job at prevention. Convincing mothers to forgo alcohol
during pregnancy would be an enormous health care victory that is simply
priceless. We must find the way to help them find their way.
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