April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. In Texas, the recently released Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) 2015 Annual Report identified 50,506 children were confirmed victims of abuse, with 171 losing their lives. The Lubbock region ranked third out of DFPS’ 11 regions in the state for the prevalence of child abuse – with a point prevalence rate of 15.4 per 1,000 children – resulting in 1,138 cases of confirmed child abuse in the Lubbock region.
Covenant Children’s is hosting a summit to raise awareness around child abuse and enhance the skills of health care professionals and the general community around prevention, investigation, and treatment of abuse in children. The event is 8 a.m. to 4p.m. Friday (April 1) at the Knipling Education and Conference Center, on the 6th floor of the West Parking Garage at the corner of 21st Street and Louisville Avenue.
“We have a moral and civic duty to protect children, as they cannot protect themselves,” said Marguerite Fallon, Covenant Children’s VP of Nursing and Patient Care Services. “This conference will provide both educational information and practical guidance on a wide range of topics such as recognition of human sex trafficking, criminal prosecution of child abuse, and effects of abuse and PTSD, among others.
“While the summit’s primary audience is health care workers such as physicians, nurses and social workers in the field of emergency medicine, family practice, pediatrics and all pediatric specialties, we have designed the first half of the day to be tailored more toward general child abuse topics of interest to both the general public and health care providers. The second half of the day focuses on information for health care providers. We encourage anyone interested in child abuse prevention and intervention to attend,” she said.
At the conclusion of the day’s series of workshops, participants will be able to:
- Identify the many roles of health care providers and community members in the criminal prosecution of child abuse
- Outline the legal constraints round the testimonies of children
- Recognize victims of domestic minor human sex trafficking
- Examine the roles of the sexual assault nurse examiner
- Discuss effective strategies and gaps in child abuse prevention
- Identify the effects of neglect and post-traumatic stress disorder in child abuse victims
- Evaluate links between domestic violence and child abuse
- Analyze cases where child abuse can be misdiagnosed
The conference’s opening will feature Dr. Patti Patterson (professor and director of Child Abuse Pediatrics at the Texas Tech School of Medicine, former Commissioner of Health for the State of Texas), State Sen. Charles Perry and Rep. John Frullo, and a proclamation by the City of Lubbock, and the South Plains Coalition for the Prevention of Child Abuse’s awarding special recognition to Matt Powell for his advocacy on behalf of child abuse victims.
Registration fee is $50 for licensed medical professionals and $25 for non-licensed medical professionals and students, with all fees paid at the door. To register, email cme@covhs.org or visit the website.
Schedule
7:15 – 8:10 a.m. – Sign-in and Breakfast
8:10 – 8:30 a.m. Welcome
8:30 – 9:45 a.m. “Criminal Prosecution of Child Abuse” – Matt Powell, Lubbock County district attorney
9:45 – 10:15 a.m. “Recognizing Child Abuse and Human Sex Trafficking in the Community” – Tricia Vowels
10:15-10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. “Prevention and Intervention: Effective Strategies and Gaps” – Jeffrey Wherry, PhD
11:30 a.m. –12 p.m. Lunch
12 – 1 p.m. “Effects of Neglect and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder” – Michael Gomez, MD
1 – 2 p.m. “Legal Aspects Regarding Children” – Sarah Wakefield, MD
2– 2:15 p.m. Break
2:15 – 2:45 “Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Oranges and Tangerines|” – Jeffrey Wherry
2:45 – 3:15 p.m. “The Roles of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner” – Carrie Edwards, RN, SANE
3:15 – 4 p.m. “Is it Child Abuse? Diagnostic Challenges” – Patti Patterson, MD
4 p.m. Closing Remarks and Evaluations
(News release from Covenant Health)