Lawmakers Rally To Save Essential Care For At-risk Babies

A one-of-a-kind facility in Washington State, and a model for others around the Country, is facing an uncertain future after a pair of State executives cut it's funding and cancelled it's contract.  The Pediatric Infant Care Center (PICC) is a nursery for newborns in Kent.  PICC deals specifically with newborns that were exposed to drugs in utero.

These are newborns exposed to opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other narcotics and have have health issues that need specialized care to increase their chance of survival.  PICC first opened their doors in 1990, becoming the first interim facility in the US devoted to caring for medically fragile and drug exposed babies.

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One of the areas where lawmakers agreed during this year's legislative session was continuing funding for PICC.  They allotted $100,000 for the facility to help continue it's mission.  Before Governor Ferguson signed the budget, he vetoed PICC's funding. This came on the heels of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) cancelling their contract with PICC, without notice, or review, using budget cuts as an excuse.

PICC's founder and Executive Director, Barbara Drennan, told KOMO that over their 35 years of operation they have helped 3,500 newborns.  PICC isn't a huge facility, but their importance is such that a group of State Lawmakers have sent a letter to DCYF head Tara Senn and Governor Ferguson asking them to reconsider the funding cut.

The letter questions the decision to end the contract and veto the funding.  It also points out PICC's viability as hospitals are overcrowded and the opioid epidemic continues to rage.

The Funding

PICC normally received $700,000 biennially from the legislature in the budget.  This session it was cut to $100,000 for the same term before Ferguson drew a line through it with his pen.  If the decision isn't reversed, PICC may be forced to close at the end of the month.  Even if they are able to find alternative sources of revenue, the babies currently in their care will be forced to leave because they are there under the DCYF contract that was cancelled.

One eye-opening statistic the lawmakers mentioned in their letter was something DCYF itself just made public.

According to DCYF’s own quarterly data, child fatalities and near-fatalities have increased by 200% between the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 — a surge tied directly to cases involving drug-exposed homes.

In a time when we hear how much money is needed to help with drug addiction and treatment, it seems counter productive to leave the one group born addicted, easily the most vulnerable, in the cold.