FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2007

CONTACT: (609) 633-8507 Kate Bernyk  Andy Williams

 

EPIC-SCAN program will help identify and prevent child abuse and neglect

TRENTON – Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Kevin Ryan today announced the launch of a newly expanded version of an initiative designed to help physicians prevent and recognize child abuse and neglect among their patients in the primary care setting.

The EPIC-SCAN model, or Educating Physicians In their Communities on Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect, is a project of the New Jersey Pediatric Council on Research and Education (PCORE). PCORE is a foundation of the American Academy of Pediatrics – New Jersey Chapter.

DCF has allocated $233,000 to this expanded EPIC-SCAN initiative, which will include training modules focused on prevention and address important issues of parenting and coping with a crying baby, which is the leading trigger for Shaken Baby Syndrome.

In addition to prevention, the EPIC-SCAN project centers on training medical professionals to better identify and detect child abuse and neglect. The PCORE project leaders are placing first priority for this training on health professionals at New Jersey’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). In addition, working with the New Jersey Hospital Association, PCORE will target hospital emergency room personnel in key areas to promote the training.

“Pediatricians and primary care physicians are among our greatest resources in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect in New Jersey,” said Commissioner Ryan at the Henry J. Austin Center, an FQHC, in Trenton, N.J. “This new program will strengthen our partnership with the health community to continue reporting child abuse and neglect, and also identify new ways to prevent harm from occurring.”

Commissioner Ryan was joined today by two of the state’s leading physicians working with abused and neglected children, Dr. Steven Kairys, New Jersey’s PCORE chairman, and Dr. Susan Hodgson, New Jersey’s Child Advocate. Dr. Kairys, who has been committed to reducing child abuse by focusing on physician behavior and community-based efforts that focus on system change, is serving as the lead physician on this EPIC-SCAN project. Dr. Hodgson will be part of the core team providing this training to other medical professionals around the state. Through her involvement with the AAP, Dr. Hodgson was instrumental in the creation of New Jersey's initial EPIC-SCAN pilot program. The improvement and expansion of the EPIC-SCAN is due in large part to the hard work of Dr. Kairys, Dr. Hodgson and many of their peers.

“EPIC-SCAN engages the whole office in becoming responsible for recognizing and responding to abuse and neglect," said Dr. Hodgson. "The expansion of this program means that clinicians will have improved skills for recognizing abuse as a cause of injuries. Earlier recognition and reporting of suspected abuse and neglect will lead to prevention.”

The goal of EPIC-SCAN is to assist physicians and their staff on how to best engage and assist parents on a routine basis. This will be achieved through the use of training modules and an asset-based approach, focusing on what to do if providers encounter a situation where a parent needs more assistance, including referrals to community resources and support programs.

This project will also demonstrate the links between general issues of child rearing and the patterns and behaviors in parents who abuse their children. These include a history of abuse as a child, disciplinary child rearing beliefs, maternal depression, domestic violence and parental substance abuse.

“EPIC- SCAN is a very effective method of training the entire office staff about the early detection of child abuse and neglect,” Dr. Kairys said. “The new trainings for 2007 will also include prevention information on shaken baby syndrome by focusing on infant crying.”

Governor Corzine recently proclaimed April 2007 to be Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, and encourage individuals and communities to support children and their families. This year, DCF is focusing on core prevention messages centered on child health and safety, including safe baby sleep, Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention, and parent coping skills.

According to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, each year approximately 1,200-1,400 children in the United States receive medical treatment for shaken baby syndrome – nearly 30 percent of those are fatal injuries. For the infant survivors of Shaken Baby Syndrome, approximately 80% will have lifelong brain injuries that could include learning and physical disabilities, blindness, hearing and speech disabilities, cerebral palsy and behavior disorders.

 

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