Save Lives of Babies in NH: Pass Parker's Law (SB348)

TELL THE NH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
SAVE THE LIVES OF NEWBORN BABIES
BY PASSING SB 348

We, the undersigned, are RESIDENTS of NEW HAMPSHIRE (18 years of age and older). We implore the NH Legislature to pass SB348 (Parker’s Law). It would require NH hospitals to screen every newborn baby for Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) in accordance with the September 2011 recommendation by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The simple and inexpensive screening is called “pulse oximetry”. We make this petition in the name of Lucia Mae Dube, whose parents are Megan and Brandon Dube of Derry, NH.

Lucia was born on December 24, 2011 with significant congenital cardiac problems that are among those that only manifest themselves several days after birth. These heart defects would have been detected soon after birth, while Lucia was still in the hospital, with the screening that SB348 would mandate. Without it, Lucia nearly died on her third day at home, when Megan and Brandon realized that she was having difficulty breathing and rushed her to the hospital. Lucia’s heart and other organs suffered damage that would have been avoided if her heart defects were identified sooner. Likewise, the terrible trauma her parents experienced in almost losing their precious baby right before their eyes could have been avoided. Their lives have been turned upside down as they have stayed at Lucia’s side through weeks of intensive hospital care and as they anticipate three cardiac surgeries, which will begin when Lucia has grown a little more.

If the NH hospital where Lucia was born had already started screening newborns for CCHDs in December, the Dubes would have been informed of Lucia’s serious heart condition in a timely manner, and measures would have been taken to prevent it from going from bad to much worse. We urge you to pass Parker’s Law as quickly as possible so it can be implemented in time for the next family whose infant has a CCHD; it could well be the difference between that baby’s life and death.