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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 15, 2022 01:47 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ryan Warner |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Multidisciplinary Medical Team for Child Abuse Investigations |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation directing the Department of Human Services to establish a team of medical professionals to provide critical consultation in child abuse investigations in which there are physical symptoms suggestive of abuse, but no other indicators of abuse or neglect. Caseworkers are trained to recognize signs of abuse – not signs of rare diseases. Yet there are numerous diseases and conditions the symptoms of which can sometimes mimic abuse or neglect. Often, these conditions are rare and not widely understood and, in the case of young children, not yet known to be present. Mistaking the symptoms of a medical condition for abuse can result in a loving family being torn apart and being put through untold distress. Having a specially trained medical team available to consult in these ambiguous cases is the best way to avoid tragic and harmful family separations that may otherwise result from a what amounts to a misunderstanding. Please join me in providing the expert support that caseworkers need to follow the creed that need not be for physicians alone: First, do no harm. |
Introduced as HB2383