U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 5117aa. Findings

The Congress finds that—

(1) studies indicate that a number of factors contribute to the inability of some parents to provide adequate care for their infants and young children and a lack of suitable shelter homes for such infants and young children have led to the abandonment of such infants and young children in hospitals for extended periods;

(2) an unacceptable number of these infants and young children will be medically cleared for discharge, yet remain in hospitals as boarder babies;

(3) hospital-based child care for these infants and young children is extremely costly and deprives them of an adequate nurturing environment;

(4) appropriate training is needed for personnel working with infants and young children with life-threatening conditions and other special needs, including those who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (commonly known as “HIV”), those who have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (commonly known as “AIDS”), and those who have been exposed to dangerous drugs;

(5) infants and young children who are abandoned in hospitals are particularly difficult to place in foster homes, and are being abandoned in hospitals in increasing numbers by mothers dying of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, by parents abusing drugs, or by parents incapable of providing adequate care;

(6) there is a need for comprehensive support services for such infants and young children and their families and services to prevent the abandonment of such infants and young children, including foster care services, case management services, family support services, respite and crisis intervention services, counseling services, and group residential home services;

(7) there is a need to support the families of such infants and young children through the provision of services that will prevent the abandonment of the infants and children; and

(8) private, Federal, State, and local resources should be coordinated to establish and maintain services described in paragraph (7) and to ensure the optimal use of all such resources.

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