Need for pediatricians specializing in child abuse

ROCHESTER, NY — According to the National Library of Medicine, more than 3 million children are investigated nationwide each year by child protective services for child abuse and neglect. That’s why professionals across the country have been raising awareness about National Child Abuse Prevention Month throughout the month of April.

The Bivona Child Advocacy Center of Rochester has joined with the National Children’s Alliance, its member agencies, and other supporters to do just that.

“Our medical program only evaluates 650 children a year,” said Dr. Elizabeth Murray.

Murray began her career as a firefighter and continued to serve the community as a paramedic. Entering medical school, she knew she wanted to go to the children’s emergency room because of her previous skills as a first responder. Murray is now one of two child abuse pediatricians at the Bivona Child Advocacy Center.

“I’m part of a small team, part of a big team. So I’m one of two child abuse pediatricians at Golisano Children’s Hospital here at the University of Rochester .And we’re part of what’s called the REACH program, which stands for Reference for the Assessment of Abused Children,” she explained. “One of us is available 24/7 to answer phone calls from any medical provider anywhere in the Children’s Hospital catchment area.”

The Bivona Child Care Advocacy Center partners with the hospital, as well as law enforcement, child protective services and other agencies to ensure the best care for children and families in the need. Each department has specialists gathered under one roof at the Advocacy Center for collaborative efforts.

“We have a combined program where we see kids on an outpatient basis here at the Defense Center,” she said. “Most of these evaluations involve child sexual abuse. Physical abuse cases often involve children who are too small to speak and therefore are often hospitalized just for their own safety. Child Protective Services, it may take some time for the police and everyone to figure out what’s going on. You know, our goal is always the health and safety of the child. Our goal is not to try to prove this or that. , we want to do whatever is necessary to get the child back to health.”

However, this is just one step in a much larger problem.

“The data tells us that about one in 10 children will have experienced some type of abuse before the age of 18, and so, I always say it’s two per grade. Right?” » said Murray. “The data collected across New York State is quite interesting. This shows that there is one child abuse pediatrician for every 122,000 children, so that’s not a lot. But the fact that we’re here, part of this incredibly strong team in the middle of defense, we’re getting the job done and we have the team that we need here. »

The center’s location in Rochester serves a wide area, covering 12 counties across the region. More populated areas of the state with fewer resources may face the challenges and demands of the job more directly. Sometimes, victim identification may be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to child safety.

“As a mom, it worries me, certainly, you know, as a parent and as a person, but I’m very comforted to know that we now have this incredible team of educators going into the schools under the mandate of Erin’s Laws,” she said.

However, these are currently only applicable in public schools in New York state, according to Murray, who is also working with the team of advocates to expand them to private schools.

The demand for this position may be just the beginning for the sector which is experiencing a shortage of pediatricians specializing in child abuse.

“You have to love pediatrics. And we saw as a nation last year that pediatrics programs weren’t fulfilling residency training, but it’s a tough subject. Not every institution in the country has a great child advocacy center like we have here “So I think the work being done elsewhere, the logistics behind it, you know, if you don’t have this incredible collaborative team, it’s daunting. There’s a lot of things that are very different,” Murray explained. “We do a lot of non-medical things. You know, we testify in court and maybe with the grand jury, family court, criminal court, children’s hospital covers about 12 counties. And that’s not something most doctors normally think about. about doing.”

The Bivona Child Advocacy Center often brings together professionals from the community for training on child abuse. The organization recently hosted a summit on child abuse to educate professionals who work with children. Murray says it’s one of the largest in the country.

“We have a lot of interns with us and it’s great, and we love it, and it’s always the feedback every time, you know, it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be,” a- she smiled.

Throughout April, Murray also led her own personal efforts to raise awareness through social media, as she has done in recent years.

“When I post, when I use this blue hand on social media, I started years ago, and so even though the logo has changed, I decided to stay consistent with the hand,” said Murray. “But every time either Dr. Layman-Torres or I get a phone call asking for help or we see a child in the clinic, I’m posting this just to raise awareness of the numbers of what we’re seeing. One more times, while the numbers may be high, they are probably just the tip of the iceberg.”

There were more than 50 calls throughout the month of April. Murray says it’s a pretty typical month; however, during the school months, educators provide additional assistance in closely monitoring children’s well-being.

“We’re getting phone calls in the middle of the night. I got a call this morning around 6, not too bad,” she said. “Where people maybe just have questions, I don’t know the best steps to take. That’s something, that sounds like something we need to call CPS, just all kinds of general guidance, and then “It really escalates to the end. Added to that is a child who is seriously injured and needs to be hospitalized for medical reasons and treatment.”

She says signs of physical child abuse can include scratches on an infant, adding that young children get bumps and bruises all the time, and that’s normal. However, sexual abuse can present very differently and often involves professionals defending children too young to speak or a child’s ability to speak to a trusted adult.

“For many children, they first view abuse as some kind of game or things like that. They don’t know right away what’s happening to them. That’s why you have to make sure that children have of the language needed to accurately describe their body parts, “Use the right names for all their body parts, talk confidently about their body, know that they decide who can touch their body and when,” Murray explained .

“It’s difficult, I think, you know, we always tell parents, when it comes to things like child sexual abuse, that it’s very easy to want to change the situation. You know, we want to be able to say, if we look for someone on the sex offender registry, they’re not there,” Murray continued. “They have to be safe. Or if they’re approved to coach, they have to be safe. You know, it’s very easy to…put them aside. But when you look at the data, 90 percent of the time , the abuser is someone the child and the family know, love and trust And that is why the abuse happened: because they were able to build that trust and gain the trust of the child. and the parent.

That’s why she encourages families, loved ones, educators, supporters and everyone else to teach children to talk about their comfort level with themselves and with trusted adults. She encourages families to call with any questions or concerns about their children and their safety, any time of the day or night, because that’s what they’re there for. She wants to help.

Murray adds that if a young child doesn’t feel comfortable physically greeting a loved one they don’t see frequently or don’t know, that’s OK because they’re learning who they can talk to. be comfortable.

“We need to make sure that kids have the right language to speak confidently about things. You know, these kinds of services are so essential and so helpful, you know, if we can prevent it and put us out of work, very Well I’m okay with that,” she smiles.

For more information, visit www.bivonacac.org or, if you suspect a child has been injured or is in danger, call 1-800-342-3720.