Drug Endangered Children Summit kicks off statewide efforts

Sgt. Jim Gerhardt presents a stimulating presentation on drug endangered children and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Les Kerr, Steering Committee member and Chair of the Summit Planning Committee, and Shannon Stokes, Chair of the Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, already at work planning for next year’s Summit.

Shannon Stokes, Chair of the Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children; Vivian Murphy, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association; and Regina Thompson, Program Coordinator, Kids Hope United Circle of Hope program; take a breather during the Summit.

On July 21 and 22, 2009, over 100 people came together around the topic of drug endangered children as the Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children held its Inaugural Summit at Port Arrowhead Resort.

A line-up of national speakers the first day provided information about drug endangered children and how multidisciplinary teams can help ensure that the best interests of children are always served.

Sgt. Jim Gerhardt opened the first day with DEC 101, a primer on how communities can develop multidisciplinary teams to address drug endangered children (DEC). Sgt. Gerhardt has 21 years of diverse law enforcement experience, including working with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) as coordinator for the Mountain States Precursor Committee. He is a Board member of the Colorado Drug Endangered Children Incorporated, which was created to provide a resource for Colorado entities serving children in drug endangered environments. Gerhardt provides training throughout the United States on building community coalitions and developing drug endangered children strategies.

Lori Moriarty, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, gave the keynote address. She shared her experience as Commander of the North Metro Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional undercover drug unit, in the Denver area, and how she came to be concerned about the safety of children found in drug environments. She spearheaded efforts to establish protocols for safe removal of children found in those environments, and in 2006 became the Executive Director of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children.

A four hour American College of Medical Toxicology – Methamphetamine Course was presented by Dr. Jennifer Lowry and Dr. Anthony Scalzo. This national curriculum provided technical and medical information about the effects of methamphetamines on children.

Day two of the summit featured presentations from three local community groups in Missouri. Donna Bedsworth of the Warren County DEC team, Jean Freeman of the Methamphetamine Action Coalition in Jefferson County, and Alice Kitchen of the Metro Task Force on Drug Exposed Infants each presented information about their group's history, what has worked and what has been learned.

At the end of the summit, a town hall meeting was held, allowing participants the opportunity to discuss and share their needs, priorities, and insights.

The Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children consists of state agencies and statewide private organizations that are concerned with drug endangered children. The organization has established its structure, a web site, and is developing mechanisms for providing assistance to local collaborations and groups that are interested in addressing the needs of children and families in drug environments.

Missouri’s efforts to address drug endangered children originated several years ago, when the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association led the effort to establish recommended guidelines for managing children found in methamphetamine laboratories. The guidelines were published and training sessions conducted at various locations throughout Missouri. Response from local communities was very positive, and many requested assistance in developing multidisciplinary teams.