State scrimps on 1st line of defense for abused kids

April 3, 2009

PEDIATRIC RESIDENTS Genevieve Preer and Chén Kenyon, in their March 28 op-ed "Defining, funding quality healthcare for the poor," are right in reminding decision makers that the most vulnerable patients often cannot advocate for themselves. This is most dramatically the case when patients are abused or neglected infants and children.

Last year Boston Medical Center reported 454 suspected cases of child  buse or neglect to the Department of Children and Families, the most of any Boston hospital. Yet BMC receives no state dollars to operate its multidisciplinary child-protection team, which is essential to the often complex and time-consuming task of identifying, evaluating, and supporting neglected and physically and sexually abused children.

These services save lives, and make the lives of children safer. Yet because they are not income-generating for hospitals, they are some of the first to be cut at the very times they are needed most - when the economy is poor.

Massachusetts may be seen as a model for healthcare reform. The little-known truth,however, is that, as measured by support of critical child-protection teams, BMC, Children's Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, North Shore Children's Hospital, Baystate Medical Center, and UMass Memorial  rank among the lowest reimbursed among US hospitals for serving this vulnerable group of patients.

Jetta Bernier, Executive Director
Massachusetts Citizens for Children, Boston
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