Phillipsburg to learn about shaken baby syndrome Warren prosecutor brings awareness plan to middle and high schools Tuesday, August 14, 2007 • BY MIKE FRASSINELLI • Star-Ledger Staff In classroom demonstrations, a doll illustrates the violent force re quired to cause shaken baby syndrome. An egg shows the difference between the forces involved in falls and in shaking. A "crying tape" shows how quickly someone can become frustrated dealing with a screaming infant. Warren County Prosecutor Thomas S. Ferguson is the second prosecutor in the state to enter a partnership with local hospitals and schools to educate new parents and teen students about the effects of shaken baby syndrome. Following the lead of Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow -- who last year brought shaken baby syndrome prevention training to the Saint Barnabas health care system and to seventh- and eighth-graders in his county -- Ferguson has brought a similar program to Warren and Hacketts town hospitals and to Phillipsburg middle and high schools. The approval last night by the Phillipsburg school board came less than four months after baby Brayden Eichlin was found unresponsive in his crib in Phillipsburg. Sarah Eichlin, 23, was charged in the April 24 death of her 3-week-old-infant, which prosecutors say was caused by multiple blunt force traumas to the top of the baby's head. The teaching will include a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, brochures and certificates of course completion. Ferguson assigned Lois Magill, a forensic nurse in the prosecutor's office, to train hospital staff and students. An advocate of community po licing and the father of a 3-year-old son, Ferguson noted that of the 1,200 to 1,400 shaken children in America for whom treatment is sought each year, 25 to 30 percent die. "The rest will have lifelong complications," he said. "... The victims of shaken baby syndrome are helpless to defend themselves from such violence. Through better education, it will allow new parents and caregivers to understand the challenges they face and help prevent tragedies before they occur." Middle school students are targeted for the education program because that is the age that youngsters typically begin baby-sitting. "If one student remembers this and doesn't shake a baby, I know I've done something positive for my career," Magill said of the aware ness program. Romankow yesterday applauded Ferguson for his prevention efforts in the western New Jersey county and was hopeful more counties would follow suit. When he became prosecutor, Romankow began to see a trend with shaken baby syndrome cases. "I thought it was something we had to address," he said. "It's the kind of crime no one wants to commit. It's a crime people don't even realize they are committing -- and it's totally preventable." Saint Barnabas has hospitals in Essex, Union, Monmouth and Ocean counties. Shaken baby syndrome might not get the headlines and attention crimes such as murders or million- dollar drug busts attract. But Romankow said it has been rewarding to watch the results of the program in Union County. He said many students, who get a doll that shows the dangers of shaken baby syndrome, never realized it was so dangerous to shake a child. Students are taught to stay calm, being reminded that while no baby has ever been harmed from crying, babies have been harmed from being shaken. "The worst thing you can do," Romankow said, "is pick up a baby in anger." Mike Frassinelli may be reached at mfrassinelli@starledger.com or (908) 475-1218. © 2007 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.