NYC Child Safety Medical Summit to Improve Child Welfare Practices

The importance of collaboration among child welfare and medical professionals was the focus April 3 at Children's Services' Bronx Child Safety Summit at Lincoln Hospital. Convened by the ACS Office of Child and Family Health, the Summit was one of the initiatives recommended by the Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Child Welfare and Safety. 

Dr. Mendoza addresses the audience at the Bronx Child Safety Medical Summit.

Several of the physicians who attended talked about the need for better training to help them identify and diagnosis child abuse, particularly sexual abuse. ACS Assistant Commissioner Dr. Angel Mendoza, Jr. encouraged the medical community to refer children to services to help them cope with the trauma of abuse. “There are services--not enough, but what does exist is not being accessed enough,” said Dr. Mendoza.

Attendees included public and private child welfare workers, family lawyers and advocates. Among the other participants were ACS Assistant Borough Commissioner Bertina Capuano; ACS Investigative Consultant Supervisor Susan Fox; Supervising Bronx Assistant District Attorney Johanna Hernandez from the Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Bureau; Dr. Aaron Miller of the Lincoln Hospital’s Child Advocacy Center; and NYPD Sgt. Salvatore Motta of the Bronx Special Victims Unit. Dr. Linda Cahill of the Montefiore Child Advocacy Center was one of the keynote speakers. The panel concluded that all participants needed to better coordinate their efforts.

Similar Medical Summits will be held in Queens on May 15, and another on Staten Island on June 26. 

Panel members from left Dr. Angel Mendoza, Sgt. Salvatore Motta, Johanna Hernandez, Sue Fox, Bertina Capuano, Dr. Aaron Miller and Dr. Linda Cahill.

The Audience

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Pictures by Robert Cannon.