Child Abuse Prevention, Prevention & Wellness

Kentucky has highest child abuse rate in U.S.; Indiana second highest

Kentucky and Indiana children continue to suffer abuse at alarming rates. TheU.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Children’s Bureau “Child Maltreatment 2017”report — released in 2019 — shows Kentucky now has the highest abuse rate in the country. The commonwealth reported more than 22,000 victims (compared with 20,000 in the 2016 report), or about…

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Child Abuse Prevention, Prevention & Wellness

Child abuse is 100 percent preventable — you have the tools to end it

Don’t think your baby can be a victim of abuse? Think again. Kentucky and Indiana have some of the highest rates of child physical abuse and neglect in the country — more than 40,000 kids a year. Families of all races, backgrounds and economic statuses feel the catastrophic effects of child abuse. We all can…

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Child Abuse Prevention, Prevention & Wellness

Kentucky child abuse rate is second highest; Indiana fatalities double

Kentucky and Indiana continue to see a rise in child abuse. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau child abuse report released this year shows a jump in both states. Kentucky reported 20,000 victims — a nearly 6 percent increase representing about 20 out of every 1,000 children. Indiana reported 28,500 cases….

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Child Abuse Prevention, Norton Childrens Hospital

Is he a danger to my child?

I met him on hospital day 79. There he was — a toddler who was in his third month in the pediatric intensive care unit at Norton Children’s Hospital. He required a life-saving operation to remove part of his skull and put in a tube to drain fluid from his swollen brain. The poor child…

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Child Abuse Prevention

Doctor describes horrors of sex abuse

***This article includes graphic details*** As a medical resident, I saw a 4-year-old girl with a large tear in her vagina that required surgery to put it back together. I couldn’t image what had happened. The family said she fell on the top of a plunger. The examination (and common sense) said otherwise. The mother’s…

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Child Abuse Prevention

Child abuse through a doctor’s eyes

I’ve been a practicing pediatrician for 13 years. I feel like I’ve seen it all — from the normal bumps and scrapes to some of the rarest syndromes and diseases on this planet. But there’s one thing that always shocks and upsets me as a physician and as a parent: child abuse. An abused child…

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Child Abuse Prevention

More moms can find safe haven for babies

Giving up a newborn baby may seem unimaginable. But for some Kentucky moms, they are faced with having to make that heart-wrenching decision. Up until now, they had only three days after giving birth to do so. That’s about to change. The Kentucky General Assembly has passed an expansion of Kentucky’s Safe Infants Act, also…

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Child Abuse Prevention

Kentucky becomes only fourth state to mandate physician training on child abuse

Kentucky and Indiana continue to rank among the worst states in the nation for the number of children who are abused and neglected, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Child Maltreatment 2012 report. In recent years Kentucky has consistently ranked among the worst states in the nation for death…

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