Child center expands effort; exams available for abuse, neglect victims

April 22-- Apr. 22--An Orangeburg-based child advocacy center is expanding its outreach with a satellite office which will provide forensic medical exams for children who are suspected of being victims of abuse and neglect.

The Edisto Children's Center began work in 2006. It falls under the umbrella of CASA/Family Systems, which has expanded from its initial focus on sexual assault to provide help to victims of both domestic violence and child abuse.

The ECC addresses the prevention, investigation, assessment, referral for prosecution and treatment of child victims of physical and sexual violence. It is nationally accredited by the National Children's Alliance.

"One of the things that we didn't have here was medical services in the areas. So we, along with law enforcement and DSS, had to send them to Columbia. We found that was taking a lot of resources out of our community," said Labrena Aiken-Furtick, CASA's chief operating officer.

"We also felt like more kids could be seen with the resources and the time of those entities here versus traveling all day. It would also help us to have all of the wrap-around services here in Orangeburg," she said.

The satellite clinic is located at 172428 Village Park Drive. It is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of each month.

Aiken-Furtick said the work to bring the satellite clinic to Orangeburg began when the ECC contacted Dr. Olga C. Rosa, the director of the South Carolina Child Advocacy Medical Response System. Rosa oversees all medical providers who perform evaluations of child abuse and neglect victims.

The forensic medical exams in the new office are provided by staff from Prisma Health Children's Hospital, which has its own satellite office at Palmetto Health Children's Hospital.

The clinic in Orangeburg is staffed by Dr. Susan Lamb, director of the Division of Child of Abuse and Neglect in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Carolina, and Dr. L. Alex Young, a child abuse pediatrician. The two nurse practitioners serving in the clinic are Stephanie Schaller and Shelby Brady.

Lamb said, "We had to find the funding with the Department of Pediatrics and the Rural Health Initiative to bring the clinic from the (Palmetto Health) Children's Hospital in Columbia to Orangeburg. The Department of Pediatrics has leased the space for pediatric satellite clinics."

She added, "With the Rural Health Initiative and the hospital giving us a grant, we were able to hire more staff so that we could come down here and do clinics on site. So it was a concerted effort to get the pieces together so that we could bring services specifically to Orangeburg."

Lamb said the clinic, however, serves more than just Orangeburg.

"It also serves Barnwell, Bamberg, Calhoun and parts of Aiken. So it's essentially any child where it's the closest place for them to get services. The Edisto Children's Center and CASA provides support for all of those children. So it's really a regional resource for the kids.

"As kids are referred to us and we can fill the clinic spots, then we can expand to additional days and hours. The referrals come from DSS, law enforcement, local pediatricians or health care providers and then, of course, the Edisto Children's Center," Lamb said.

Aiken-Furtick said the ECC has served approximately 77 children this year.

Its multidisciplinary team is comprised of officials from several entities, including the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office; Orangeburg Department of Public Safety; Orangeburg Consolidated School Districts 3, 4 and 5; Orangeburg Area Mental Health Center; 1st Circuit Solicitor's Office and the Department of Social Services in Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun counties.

Team meetings are led by ECC staff members Robin Livingston and Janice Jenkins.

Aiken-Furtick said the work done at the new satellite clinic is an important resource in the community.

"I think it's important, especially if we want convictions with the solicitor's office. It will just help them with their cases. A lot of times there's a lack of evidence on that end. Plus, it's about the overall health of a child and them being able to get the right treatment," she said.

Lamb said, "Medically, it's vital for the health of the child because we know that very rarely is abuse or neglect of just one kind. So even if the concern or the referral is just one thing," other forms of abuse or neglect may be found.

"Oftentimes we find evidence that does assist DSS and law enforcement in protecting those children and other children in the home or in the family unit. That's why expanding the medical services means that we can expand to children who are victims of domestic violence, or children who have been exposed to drug manufacturing or parental substance abuse," she said.

Lamb added, "I believe that we'll protect a larger number of children and see better outcomes in family court and criminal court with the medical services because sometimes the kids are not ready to talk in the interview. But if I find medical evidence, it doesn't matter if they talk or not. I can testify that it is on that evaluation."

Lamb said the collaboration between Prisma Health USC and the ECC is an important one.

"We're the medical experts, but we're not the community experts. We didn't want to come down here without the ECC staff to provide that support and community resources," she said.

The clinic can be contacted by phone at 803-898-1470 or fax at 803-898-1471. The ECC can be reached by phone at 803-534-2272, fax at 803-534-2594 or online at www.casafamilysystems.com.

Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD.

___

(c)2019 The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.)

Visit The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.) at thetandd.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.