The commission announced the investigations following concerns from advocacy groups, according to a Nov. 16 news release. The investigations will look to determine if the hospitals’ policies and practices regarding drug testing of pregnant people and newborns show discriminatory racial bias.
Although a positive toxicology test doesn’t merit a call to the State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment, some advocates say hospitals continue to use a single unconfirmed positive screen as a reason to report parents to the SCR. If the SCR accepts the report, the local child welfare agency is legally required to launch a child protection investigation.
At the time of publication, representatives from Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian had not responded to Becker’s request for comment.
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