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Honored
Members of the Windham County Multidisciplinary Team display the plaque they received stating the recent accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance of the team’s Child Advocacy Center, called “Wendy’s Place.” Courtesy photo.
PUTNAM --- Day Kimball Healthcare is recently announced that the Windham County Multidisciplinary Team’s Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC), called “Wendy’s Place,” recently received accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance in Washington, DC. The CAC is a grant-funded program coordinated through Day Kimball Healthcare that facilitates the investigation of child abuse in Windham Country.
“Day Kimball was selected to oversee the program to provide potentially abused children with a safe place to be interviewed and receive additional services such as mental health and medical evaluations,” said Christine Collins, advocacy center program coordinator. “Direct contact with physicians, timely emergency room visits and the stability of a large organization offering extended medical services are all added benefits to the program.”
CACs meeting national accreditation standards are recognized for achieving multidisciplinary collaboration and coordinated service delivery for children who receive child abuse intervention. CACs around the state, such as Wendy’s Place, strive to reduce the trauma of the investigation process by offering a safe, child-friendly environment where videotaped interviews of children are conducted, which helps to significantly reduce the number of interviews a victim must endure. Interviews are conducted by specially-trained personnel using a culturally sensitive model. An advocate is available to provide information and support to the non-offending parents or guardians while the interview is taking place.
Day Kimball Healthcare physicians, Dr. Marc Cerrone and Dr. Erica Kesselman have received training on how to prevent, identify and intervene with child abuse cases, and perform evaluations. “It is wonderful to have Wendy’s Place under the Day Kimball Healthcare umbrella,” said Dr. Kesselman. “Day Kimball is able to be a centralized support in bringing the Department of Children and Families, local police departments and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center together, offering services to families during a very stressful time.”
Wendy’s Place was named after the late Wendy Moher, who worked as executive director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Service of Eastern Connecticut in the early 2000s, for her dedication to victims of abuse in Northeast Connecticut.
The MDT, which coordinates the services of the various agencies needed for children in abusive situations and their families, is a group of 25 professionals including physicians, local and state police departments, the Department of Children and Families, the State’s Attorney’s office, United Services and other social service agencies.
They are dedicated to the identification, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse of children.