Contact: Alice Warchol at (757) 668-9049 or email Alice.Warchol@CHKD.org.
NORFOLK, Va. — More than 100 employees from Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and members of its community partners wore blue Thursday, April 9, for the health system’s annual Child Abuse Prevention Walk, an event designed to raise awareness, promote prevention, and show support for children and families affected by abuse.
The walk also gave community partners an opportunity to learn more about CHKD’s Child Advocacy Center and the multidisciplinary team approach used to help children who have experienced maltreatment and trauma.
“Our goal for the walk is to increase awareness about child abuse,” said Erinn Portnoy, director of CHKD’s Child Advocacy Center. “Child abuse thrives in silence. By educating families and the community, we can create safer environments for children.”
During the event, participants toured the Child Advocacy Center and learned about the child-focused services offered on site, including medical services, forensic interviewing, case management/advocacy, and mental health treatment. Attendees also heard about the various evidence-based therapies provided to help children begin healing from trauma, as well as the Center’s specialized program that works with trafficked and high-risk youth.
After the tour, participants planted blue pinwheels at the Center as a visible symbol of child abuse awareness and prevention and then walked together around CHKD’s campus and along Brambleton and Colley avenues.
