[angelique777]

I don't have the article but a foster mom who is supposedly a aide in a hosptial in NYC (she weighs about 275lbs) was going out for the night. Foster child a young girl who weighs about 59lbs, age was about 7-9yrs not sure, was complaining of neck pain and headache. Foster mom claims to have given child pediatric moltrin before leaving to a party. Leaves child in care of 23 y/o daughter . Foster mom returns and foster child still complaining of headache so she takes her own pain medication (FENTINYL PATCH) and plants the pain killer patch on the 59lb child right on her neck over the carotid artery.

Foster mom goes out after placing the patch leaves foster child in care of her 23yr daughter. Around 3pm in the afternoon the 23y/o finds the child passed out looking kinda blue . She contacts foster mom and they finally call 911 at 4pm child is taken to hospital pronounced dead probably from respiratory failure at 5pm.

Its really sad really horrible. Even though fentnyl patch clearly states not to use on anyone under 16y/o and not recommended for people who are first time users of opiates. Clearly however you have a fentinyl dose supposed prescribed for this women who weighs about 275lbs and she places this narcotic on a child who weighs only 59lbs. She places a narcotic that is given with caution even to adults.

This is extremely sad. I dont want to judge any one but it seems based on the article that she was not a good foster mom. Really sad that a mistake like this was made. Reminds us how dangerous medicines can be in some one who just does not understand the consequenes or who may not have cared much only that foster mom know for sure in her heart what she was thinking at that moment.

[NRSKarenRN]

Story links:

Pain-relieving patch kills Harlem girl, 6; foster mother charged

Foster Rules on Medicine Are Key in Child’s Death - New York Times

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

What makes the poor girl's death even more tragic is that just a little bit of common sense could've prevented it. :

[Hopefull2009]

The foster mother left the child in the care of a woman so ignorant she didn't even have the intellect to call 911 FIRST, and then call the foster mother when she found the child was blue.

To me, that is the first problem.

Then you have a woman that thought of nothing of giving a child a medication without even knowing fully what it would do, is the height of stupidity.

Even with myself...have I taken things 100% of the time that I have a prescription for? No...when you have immediate family members that have alot of health issues, your medicine cabinet becomes a mini-pharmacy. But on the very, very rare occasions when I had to take something stronger (in the middle of the night) and was going through to find something...I always called my father (a physician) to make sure that what I was taking didn't have any sufa in it b/c I had a severe allergy.

This was, of course, before I had jobs that required drug testing...so it's not worth it now. But when I was younger and living at home, we didn't take chances on things like that.

[wildchipmunk]

Originally Posted by Angie O'Plasty, RN

What makes the poor girl's death even more tragic is that just a little bit of common sense could've prevented it. :

Yes; I am 42 and I learned in FIRST GRADE not to share prescription medications. They beat that into our heads as children, I can't fathom how anyone with an average IQ would have thought this was okay.

[smanion]

And these are the kind of brilliant people that WE are PAYING to take care of these kids. UGH!!! We really need some GOOD foster homes out there, I have seen wayyyy to many of these, pardon, STUPID people taking in kids just so they can get that extra check. That just makes me so mad, that little girl should not have died. And ok, why would she being going out when the child is complaining of a HEADACHE and SORE neck??? ok anyway i need to stop now.

[snowfreeze]

We only see the bad cases, there are wonderful foster parents out there who do above and beyond. Yes there is screening before someone is allowed to take foster kids, but there is minimal support for them after and those kids are a lot of work. No I don't condone what this foster parent did but we don't need to think that the whole system is bad just because we only hear about the bad stuff.
Just like any other problem in the medical field, identify the problem and find what causes it to happen.

[mystcnurse]

Originally Posted by smanion

And these are the kind of brilliant people that WE are PAYING to take care of these kids. UGH!!! We really need some GOOD foster homes out there, I have seen wayyyy to many of these, pardon, STUPID people taking in kids just so they can get that extra check. That just makes me so mad, that little girl should not have died. And ok, why would she being going out when the child is complaining of a HEADACHE and SORE neck??? ok anyway i need to stop now.

So, just curious. How many kids do you foster?

[snowfreeze]

I don't foster any children, I have a sister who fostered 3 teenager siblings and grew up knowing a family that fostered 30+ children and I am still in contact with a few of them as we went to high school together.

[BinkieRN]

Originally Posted by angelique777

Really sad that a mistake like this was made

I don't think it was a mistake, I think it was stupidity and selfishness. The foster mother should have stayed home and taken care of the child.