{"id":78,"date":"2023-03-31T10:47:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T15:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lubbock-sucks.local\/?p=78"},"modified":"2023-07-25T11:52:40","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T16:52:40","slug":"child-abuse-prevention-month-lubbock-region-has-2nd-highest-rates-in-texas-covenant-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lubbock-sucks.local\/news\/child-abuse-prevention-month-lubbock-region-has-2nd-highest-rates-in-texas-covenant-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Child Abuse Prevention Month: Lubbock region has 2nd highest rates in Texas, Covenant says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

https:\/\/www.everythinglubbock.com\/news\/local-news\/child-abuse-prevention-month-lubbock-region-has-2nd-highest-rates-in-texas-covenant-says\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Child abuse is a harrowing reality everywhere, and in Lubbock, numbers were described as alarming. According to Covenant Children\u2019s Hospital (Lubbock), the Lubbock region is ranked second highest in the state for reported child abuse cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Child Abuse Prevention Month around the corner,\u00a0EverythingLubbock.com\u00a0talked with Kaci Thompson, Pediatric Trauma Coordinator at Covenant Children\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a press release, Covenant said there were 734 confirmed cases of child abuse in Lubbock County, two of which were fatal, in 2022. This is down from 2021, where the county saw 970 cases \u2013 4 fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Lubbock Police Department, 340 cases child abuse were reported in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way child abuse cases are reported has changed, which could explain the seemingly decreased number of cases, according to Thompson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changes in laws and definitions have caused a recent shift in child removal from homes. For instance, parents testing positive for marijuana are no longer subject to removal unless it causes significant impairment of a child\u2019s health. Similarly, the definition of \u2018substantial risk\u2019 has been updated to \u2018immediate danger,\u2019 Thompson explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thompson also said that while Lubbock may seem like just another small community, this abuse continues to occur right here, locally, \u201cand it\u2019s concerning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Common Forms of Child Abuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe abuse cases that Covenant sees most often are physical abuse and neglect,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cPhysical abuse is easier to determine, but neglect is harder to diagnose. For example, in cases where a child is malnourished, it is really hard to tell families that they are neglecting their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk factors\/Demographics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Typically, younger children are at higher risk of child abuse, according to Thompson. Kids 0 to 3 years of age were 50% of cases seen in Texas in 2022, while kids ages 4 to 5 were 11%. By comparison, kids 0 to 3 years of age were 39% of cases seen in Lubbock County in 2022, while kids aged 4 to 5 were 11%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One risk factor Thompson highlighted was that children with chronic illnesses were also at higher risk \u2013 possibly due to them having different needs than other children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hispanics were at highest risk and Anglo\/White children were second. Females were at 52%, and males were at 48%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you can help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to the long-term effects of child abuse, Thompson explained that it can vary depending on the type of abuse, with physical and mental\/cognitive abuse being just a few examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stressed that prevention has been medically-proven to be the best way to stop child abuse. \u201cWe have to stop worrying about diagnosing and focus on prevention,\u201d said Thompson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Thompson, it is wise to educate yourself, whether you have children or not, on child abuse prevention and resources so you can help make a difference in these critical situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst thing to do is listen, people are too quick to judge or pass it off as nothing,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cListening is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding out what resources are available and offering those is a great starting place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covenant will host multiple events that will raise awareness during Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month as well as offer such resources, Thompson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hospital also encourages the community to wear blue in the month of April, snap a photo and post to social media with the hashtag #CovWearsBlue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to speak up and be a voice for our children,\u201d Thompson concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.everythinglubbock.com\/news\/local-news\/child-abuse-prevention-month-lubbock-region-has-2nd-highest-rates-in-texas-covenant-says\/ Child abuse is a harrowing reality everywhere, and in Lubbock, numbers were described as alarming. According to Covenant Children\u2019s Hospital (Lubbock), the Lubbock region is ranked second highest in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5],"yoast_head":"\nChild Abuse Prevention Month: Lubbock region has 2nd highest rates in Texas, Covenant says - Lubbock Sucks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lubbock-sucks.local\/news\/child-abuse-prevention-month-lubbock-region-has-2nd-highest-rates-in-texas-covenant-says\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Child Abuse Prevention Month: Lubbock region has 2nd highest rates in Texas, Covenant says - Lubbock Sucks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"https:\/\/www.everythinglubbock.com\/news\/local-news\/child-abuse-prevention-month-lubbock-region-has-2nd-highest-rates-in-texas-covenant-says\/ Child abuse is a harrowing reality everywhere, and in Lubbock, numbers were described as alarming. 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