In recognition of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Dell Children’s Child Abuse Team and its local partners honored children lost to abuse and neglect in a remembrance ceremony on Friday, April 8. Representatives from The Center for Child Protection, local law enforcement, hospital chaplains and a local survivor of child abuse were present at the ceremony, which took place in the hospital’s healing garden.
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 171 children died in Texas as a result of abuse and neglect in 2015—that’s 20 more fatalities than in 2014. At the ceremony, staff tied 171 blue ribbons in remembrance of each child lost. Doctors, nurses and staff wore blue, the color of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Last year, the CARE team at Dell Children’s consulted more than 500 children. The team is specially trained to provide medical and psychosocial assessments when abuse or neglect is suspected. The team works with medical specialists and non-medical community partners including law enforcement and Child Protective Services to provide comprehensive care to children.
For more information or to donate visitsupportseton.org/dell-children/give/care-program.
