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Governor Pataki's office announced that funding has been approved for a regional SBS prevention program that will involve 20 hospitals in the lower Hudson Valley, covering eight counties. The program will be coordinated by the Children's Advocacy Center at Westchester Medical Center with assistance from the SKIPPER Initiative and Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg marks
New York City joins Westchester County and Putnam County in embarking upon a citywide education program that will use the "Portrait of Promise" video to educate new parents and other caregivers about the danger of shaking injuries to young children. This ought to encourage other counties and cities to undertake a collaborative effort to implement the highly effective education program developed by Dr. Mark Dias at Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Following introduction of the program, the incidence of shaking injuries has been reduced by 60 percent in the Buffalo area.
Administration for Children's Services and Health & Hospitals Corporation
Target Parents and Caretakers of Infants and Young Children
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today marked Child Abuse Awareness Month by launching a public
education campaign to combat the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome in New York City.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is the term used to describe the injuries that babies and very young
children sustain from being violently shaken. Children who are shaken often suffer from mental
retardation and/or life threatening injuries. The Mayor was joined by Administration for Children's
Services (ACS) Commissioner William C. Bell and Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC)
President Dr. Benjamin K. Chu, whose agencies coordinated the campaign.
"Research has demonstrated that the tragic deaths and disabling injuries that result from the
shaking of infants by their parents or caretakers can be dramatically reduced," said Mayor
Bloomberg. "I know of no better way to observe Child Abuse Prevention Month than to undertake
this public education effort to prevent these tragedies from occurring."
Over a three-year period between 1999 and 2001, ACS's Division of Child Protection investigated
44 cases of children who were victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome child abuse. Eight children died
as a result of those injuries. Between 2000 and 2001, six children were seen at HHC facilities with
a diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome. An estimated 50,000 cases occur nationwide every year,
a quarter of those resulting in the death of a child. Research also suggests that because of the
lack of education about the cause and effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome, many cases go
undiagnosed.
"All New Yorkers should be aware that Shaken Baby Syndrome is an extremely serious form of
child abuse that can result in death or serious injury," said ACS Commissioner Bell. "Over the
past few weeks we have read newspaper reports on the death of a three-month old baby and the
serious injury to a one-year old child as a result of Shaken Baby Syndrome. We hope that the
campaign we launch today will help us to prevent tragic cases like this."
"Shaken Baby Syndrome remains a misunderstood, underreported, and secretive form of child
abuse," said HHC President Dr. Chu. "Unlike children who arrive in the emergency room bleeding,
bruised or with broken limbs, these patients have injuries that are virtually invisible, and thus more
easily denied. We believe parent education can reduce these risks and save infants' lives."
Over the next few weeks, ACS and HHC will distribute copies of an 11-minute video, "Portrait of
Promise," to all pre-natal, birthing, and pediatric programs at HHC hospitals and clinics throughout
the five boroughs. Nearly 23,000 children are born at HHC hospitals every year. The City will also
be reaching out to private hospitals, clinics and community based organizations to interest them
in joining the educational campaign. The video outlines the damage that Shaken Baby Syndrome
can cause and strategies that parents and caretakers can employ to cope with the stress often
associated in dealing with young children.
The video was created and produced by The Junior League of St. Paul (Minnesota), Inc. and the
Midwest Children's Resource Center at Children's Hospitals and Clinics. It has been approved by
the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been used effectively in other parts of the nation to
combat Shaken Baby Syndrome. In fact, a public education campaign conducted within the eight
counties around Buffalo in 2000 helped reduce the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome in the
region from an average of one case every seven weeks to one case every nine months.
The Health and Hospitals Corporation is a $4.3 billion public benefit corporation that operates
acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six diagnostic and treatment centers, over 100
community health clinics, a certified home health agency and a health maintenance organization
(HMO), MetroPlus. HHC also provides health services in the City's correctional facilities,
homeless shelters and public schools.
The New York City Administration for Children's Services protects and ensures the safety and well
being of New York City's children and their families. Formed in 1996, the agency oversees the
City's programs of child protection, foster care, preventive services, adoptive parenting, youth
development, child care and Head Start.
www.nyc.gov
Contact:
Ed Skyler / Jennifer FalkChild Abuse Prevention Month with public education campaign to reduce Shaken Baby Syndrome (212) 788-2958 Kathleen Walsh / MacLean Guthrie (ACS) (212) 341-0999 Kate McGrath (HHC) (212) 295-5888 |