Child abuse deaths are a public health issue, says federal commission meeting in Portland
Members of a federal commission heard state and national-level testimony in Portland Thursday on how to better meet the needs of children at risk for being abused or neglected, with the ultimate goal of providing policy recommendations for the president’s fiscal 2016 budget.
The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, an agency established in 2012 to develop a national strategy around the issue, is meeting in Oregon in part because the state is working to address the topic within a broad public health frame, rather than as an isolated problem, said Commissioner Susan Dreyfus, president and CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and former secretary of Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services. Read more»