Contact: Ellen Bank
843.792.2626
Oct. 20, 2003
CHARLESTON -- The National Crime Victims Research and Treatment
Center (NCVC) at the Medical University of South Carolina has been selected
as one of 54 organizations throughout the United States to improve the care
and treatment of traumatized children. The NCVC will work with two community
partners, the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center and the Charleston/Dorchester
Community Mental Health Center, to provide effective interventions for children
and adolescents who have experienced trauma.
As a part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), the NCVC and
its community partners will receive $2.4 million over a four-year period to
implement research-proven treatments, improve the quality of treatments, and
expand children’s access to care. The NCTSN is funded by the federal Center
for Mental Health Services, a branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services.
“While the dramatic events of the last two years have made traumatic stress
front page news, terrorism is only one of the many forms of trauma experienced
by children. ” said the project’s director Ben Saunders, Ph.D. “Every
day in every community, many children experience abuse and violence in their
homes, schools and neighborhoods. Our research has demonstrated that these children
are at tremendous risk for a variety of emotional and social problems and need
effective intervention. We are honored to participate in this important national
network and believe the resources it provides will help us develop and deliver
effective treatments to traumatized children.”
Saunders is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
at MUSC and director of the Family and Child Program of the National Crime Victims
Research and Treatment Center.
The NCTSN is coordinated by the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress,
based out of UCLA and Duke University.
“It is unfortunate that every day, children across America face traumatic
events,” said John Fairbank, Ph.D., co-director of the NCTSN for Duke
University, “With the addition of the NCVC, this national network is strengthened
in its ability to help children recover from trauma and lead successful, happy
lives.”
Community surveys reveal that more than 25% of American youth experience a serious
traumatic event by their 16th birthday, and many children suffer multiple and
repeated traumas. Common sources of trauma include abuse and neglect; serious
accidental injury; disasters and terrorism; experiencing or witnessing violence
in neighborhoods, schools and homes; and treatment for life-threatening illness.
Traumatic stress can interfere with children’s ability to concentrate
and learn, and seriously delay development of their brains and bodies. It can
lead to depression, substance abuse, other mental health problems, educational
impairment and other difficulties.
Treatment from a mental health profession who has training and experience working
with traumatized children can reduce child traumatic stress and minimize physical,
emotional, and social problems.
The NCTSN centers treat children from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and
economic backgrounds, in both rural and urban settings. Traumatic events addressed
across the Network range from hurricanes and tornadoes, to the terrorist attacks
of 9/11, from the tragedy of ongoing familial physical and sexual abuse to inner
city violence.
As part of the NCTSN, the NCVC is committed to building programs to improve
child trauma treatment, services and support. The Network’s reach is beyond
traditional mental health settings to law enforcement, juvenile justice, victim-witness
assistance programs, healthcare settings, and child protective services-all
arenas in which traumatized children may need help.
The National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center is available to serve as an expert and source for stories on the subject of trauma in childhood, posttraumatic stress, and other specialty areas. For more information, call Dr. Ben Saunders or Dr. Rochelle Hanson at (843) 792-2945. The web site of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center is www.musc.edu/cvc/. For more information on NTSCN, contact Patrick Cody at 202 965-0580. The web site of the NCTSN is www.nctsnet.org.
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