Guthrie and the Children's House to Collaborate

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and The Children’s House Child Advocacy Center (CHCAC) announced today that through a collaboration with Guthrie Medical Group, the CHCAC has been awarded a grant through the Office of Victims’ Services of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding will help support a region-wide response to child abuse investigations with a specific focus on best practice medical care for child victims. The funding, totaling $ 158,003, will be spread out over a 30-month project period beginning in April 2019.

The VOCA grant will ensure that crime victims have access to a broad range of direct services designed to meet their physical, emotional, and psychological needs. Guthrie and The CHCAC will develop region-wide medical protocols for child abuse examinations.

“Our goal is to be here for the communities we serve and provide needed support in as many circumstances as we possibly can,” said Dr. Joseph Scopelliti, Guthrie President and CEO.” This grant will allow us to meet the needs of our youngest patients and their families with resources normally available only in larger communities.”  

Katy VanDewark, CHCAC Executive Director said, “We are thrilled with the opportunity that this project presents. Through this funding we will be able to educate an entire region of medical professionals, law enforcement officers, caseworkers, and many other first responders on the step by step process of getting child victims in our own community the comprehensive medical services they need in a trauma-informed manner.”

The CHCAC is a nationally accredited child advocacy center, providing a child-friendly facility for children and families to come when there are concerns about child abuse or neglect. Services include victim support, family advocacy, medical exams, mental health and forensic interviews through a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach.

Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at seven convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.