ORGANIZATIONS UNITE TO HELP PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Recent child deaths and an increase in abuse-related pediatric hospitalizations sparks concern

BOISE, ID -- A record year of child abuse-related deaths, and a measurable increase in child abuse cases serious enough to result in emergency care at St. Luke’s and St. Luke’s CARES (Children at Risk Evaluation Services), has sparked concern in Idaho. The financial and emotional stress of COVID-19 is believed to be impacting Idaho families and local organizations are teaming up to let families know there is help available.

THE INCREASED PROBLEM OF CHILD ABUSE

In the last year since the onset of COVID, St. Luke’s Children’s has seen a sharp uptick in child abuse severity, including deaths. In 2020, St. Luke’s CARES did 107 inpatient consults. They include physical abuse, neglect and some accidental injuries. For comparison, there were 74 inpatient cases in 2019. Five child fatalities in the last year were attributed to abuse or neglect, including one suspected case this week. The last death St. Luke’s Children’s and CARES could find in the records was one in 2017.

In a traditional year, St. Luke’s CARES sees about 1800 kids. Although the numbers are about the same this year, CARES believes child abuse cases are higher than what it knows about. There was a significant reduction in referrals from law enforcement and the Department of Health and Welfare during the first few months COVID-19. Also, schools account for approximately 40% of child abuse reports, but with many kids in online or hybrid school since April, there’s concern about the number of suspected cases not reported because children did not have a safe adult to tell. Physician leaders say this could explain why volumes are the same, but the severity of injuries is higher.

“We know parents and caregivers are under tremendous pressure,” said Dr. Kendra Bowman, a St. Luke’s pediatric trauma medical director and pediatric surgeon. “The financial strain from the recession caused by COVID-19, unemployment, working from home while children are present and not having any break from caring for children because schools and many offices are closed can be overwhelming.”

St. Luke’s Children’s Pediatric Trauma program has also seen an increase in cases. Nineteen children were admitted to the hospital in 2020 with physical injuries. The injuries were more severe than the care team would have traditionally seen. For comparison, that number was seven just one year before.

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN

After the abuse-related deaths of two infants, a concerned group of community stakeholders formed a coalition to try to understand why and help provide parents with access to additional resources and support to prevent abuse. The Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, St. Luke’s Children’s, Blue Cross Idaho Foundation, Idaho Resilience Project, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Micron Foundation all pledged support to address the problem.

The first efforts from the workgroup include a new public service announcement airing on television, English and Spanish radio stations and being shared across social media platforms.

“The message is simple, yet powerful. We want parents to understand we all make mistakes. We all struggle. None of us are perfect parents,” said Roger Sherman, executive director of the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund. “Raising kids during COVID is tough and we know everyone needs help sometimes. We want parents to know they’re not alone and asking for help for their kids’ sake is a strength.”

The PSA provides a HelpNow number that families can call or text for help: (986)867-1073 and (866)947-5186 (toll free). The HelpNow line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. MST, 7 days a week. Callers may also leave a message during off hours and receive a return call the following day. Responders do not classify, label, or diagnose people and no records or case files are kept on the people who call. Crisis counselors are simply there to listen and help. The HelpNow line is also accessible to Spanish speakers and responders have access to other translation services.

The coalition also established a landing page where families can find a collection of resources. There they will find links and phone numbers for help with suicide prevention, mental health and substance abuse, reporting child abuse and neglect, parent and caregiver support, support for basic needs, and questions about COVID-19.

The most vulnerable age for child abuse is children under one. They also have the highest mortality rate.

With that in mind St. Luke’s Children’s added additional resources to its website targeting new parents including information on creating a Crying Baby Plan and strategies for walking away when stress is at its highest, ways to comfort a crying baby, baby care basics and tips for parenting newborns, infants and toddlers. It is also working to increase resources and information provided to parents during emergency visits and routine check-ups to help normalize the discussion around increased stress and ways for parents to manage it.

St. Luke’s CARES also created the “Puppets for Prevention” program that reaches 1,400 elementary school students each year to teach about personal safety and how to identify trusted adults that can help if a situation feels strange or uncomfortable. To keep this vital program available during COVID, St. Luke’s recently partnered with Idaho Public Television to create a recording of the puppet show to be used in virtual and hybrid classroom settings. The first airing of this recording is March 1 at Willow Creek Elementary School in Nampa.

CHILD ABUSE IMPACTS ON LONGTERM HEALTH

Child abuse, neglect and growing up in a seriously dysfunctional household are all what health experts call adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs for short. Left unresolved or untreated, these experiences can create childhood trauma and toxic stress that can last a lifetime. Research shows that at least five of the ten leading causes of death, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, can be rooted in ACEs. They can even shorten a person’s lifespan by up to 20 years.

In Idaho as Children:

·       1 in 8 were sexually abused

·       1 in 6 were physically abused

·       1 in 6 witnessed violence between their parents

·       1 in 4 lived with an alcoholic

Idaho’s ACES scores are a full 4% above other neighboring states with nearly 2/3 of adults here having experienced at least one ACE in their childhoods. About 44% of Idahoans experienced two or more ACEs. Four or more is the threshold number for significant mental and physical problems and one in four adults in Idaho has experienced four or more. (Sources: Idaho Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey, 2018 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

To learn more about the research behind ACEs and how it impacts people in Idaho, people can visit The Idaho Resilience Project and watch a new documentary, “Resilient Idaho,” airing on Idaho Public Television.