Page 11 - MidWeek - April 26, 2023

APRIL 26, 2023 MIDWEEK 11
A pril is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Dr. Pat Morgan, medical director for Kapi‘olani Medical Cen- ter for Women & Children’s Children Advocacy and Pro- tection Center, seeks to em- phasize the importance of this
leading child protection teams, and currently serves on the American Acade- my of Pediatrics Executive Committee for the Council on Child Abuse and Neglect. She has also written a book titled The Doctor Says: Let’s Talk About Body Safety to help parents teach their young children about body safety.
DR. PAT MORGAN, medical director for Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children’s Children Advocacy and Protection Center
Understanding, Preventing Child Abuse
topic.
Morgan has experience
There are different signs one should look for, de- pending on the type of child maltreatment. A parent or caregiver’s failure to provide for a child’s most basic needs such as food, clothing, hous- ing, medical care, educational and psychological support or supervision is neglect.
Who do they call?
What is your advice to parents involved in mal- treatment?
What is your role with the Child Advocacy and Protection Center?
I primarily provide med- ical consultations and eval- uations for infants and chil- dren who are admitted to the hospital and who may have been physically abused or
Injury prevention coordinator Lisa Dau, RN, and Dr. Pat Morgan (right) help install pinwheels in front of Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month. PHOTOS COURTESY KAPI‘OLANI MEDICAL CENTER FOR WOMEN & CHILDREN
neglected. Other responsi- bilities include working with investigative agencies such as Child Welfare Services and/ or law enforcement, provid- ing expert testimony in court in child protection cases, and education of the medical and non-medical community on child maltreatment.
I think many people don’t want to believe that child abuse happens. They want to think that adults would not harm children physically or sexually, which then makes them reluctant to intervene. I think many folks also think that they have to be able to prove there is abuse or neglect before they call Child Welfare Services. All the agency needs is someone with a concern that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm. In Ha- wai‘i, threatened harm or risk of harm is the most common reason people call CWS.
PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIAN on our team.
body. Emotional abuse in- cludes name calling, reject- ing or threatening a child, or exposing a child to domestic violence. This form of abuse may not have any visible signs but can cause long-last- ing harm to a child.
For concerns of child abuse and neglect, contact Child Welfare Services any time or day of the week. On Oʻahu, the number is 808-832-5300 or toll-free 888-380-3088. Neighbor islands can also
call 888-380-3088. If you suspect child trafficking, call 808-832-1999 on Oʻahu or 888-398-1188 on Neighbor islands.
handle a baby or child if they are sick or crying a lot. It is al- ways OK to ask for help when you need it for your family or to help care for your child. If there are any concerns, par- ents should always talk to their child’s primary care physician.
More than 23 years ago, I decided to go to work to prevent child abuse and ne- glect. One important way to prevent sex abuse is to talk about body safety with chil- dren. By the time a child is seeing me because there are concerns he or she has been abused, there have often been missed opportunities to talk to that child and fam- ily about prevention. This book is to help guide parents through discussing this im- portant and sensitive topic in a child-appropriate and mem- orable way.
What do people not un- derstand about child abuse and neglect?
In physical abuse cases, an infant or child may have injuries to the head or brain, bruises, burns or broken bones that were not caused by an accident. In instances of child sexual abuse, a child may have advanced knowl- edge of sexual situations or report that there has been some type of sexual contact or sexual involvement. This can include touching a child on the parts that are under their bathing suit, sex traf- ficking of a child, or even no-contact abuse including exposure to pornography and attempting to look at a child’s
I think it is important for parents to avoid any physical discipline. Also, it helps to be aware of what can trigger abuse. Crying is the most common reason babies are shaken, so it is key to have other caregivers who can help
Why did you decide to write the book The Doctor Says: Let’s Talk About Body Safety?
What should people look for when they suspect some type of maltreatment?
Choose a
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