News

A Message on Gun Violence from Dr. Melissa Merrick

This month, the Chicagoland area and the entire nation mourns the loss of numerous lives and the injuries of many others in what can only be described as senseless acts of violence this Independence Day weekend. The understandable outrage and profound sadness following the mass shootings that occurred not only on Chicago’s South Side and in nearby Highland Park, Illinois, but also around the country, are feelings that we at Prevent Child Abuse America share. As a national organization headquartered in Chicago, all of us at PCA America feel the weight of these tragedies, and we stand in solidarity with our friends and neighbors.

“Child abuse deaths are preventable”: Read Dr. Melissa Merrick’s op-ed in the Chicago Sun Times

PCA America’s President and CEO Dr. Melissa Merrick has published an opinion piece titled “Child abuse deaths are preventable” in the Chicago Sun Times with Dr. Norell Rosado, Interim Division Head of Child Abuse Pediatrics at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago:

Dr. Melissa Merrick Joins National Expert Advisory Committee

PCA America CEO, Dr. Melissa Merrick has been selected to speak at the kickoff event for Pathways to Resilience’s Expert Advisory Committee. This new initiative is a national forum to help states and communities advance trauma-responsive policies and programs across sectors. 

Child Abuse and Neglect During the Pandemic – A Complicated Story So Far

What a heavy week it is for our nation and communities. Words are not enough to express our collective grief, and our hearts are with the families of the victims and the entire community in Uvalde, Texas. As a mother, I’m angry and frustrated and so sad (all the feelings, really), knowing that these events and the tragic loss of lives did not have to happen. This could have been prevented if we truly implemented a comprehensive approach to preventing gun violence.

Prevent Child Abuse America Welcomes Gelasia Croom as Its New Chief Communications Officer

Chicago — Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation’s oldest and largest organization committed to preventing child abuse and neglect before it happens, announced today that Gelasia Croom has joined the organization as its new Chief Communications Officer, effective this week. A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Croom most recently served as Director of Strategic Communications at Children’s Home & Aid Society of Illinois, where she oversaw both internal and external communications.

Prevent Child Abuse America and Saving Promise Sign on as Advocacy Partners for the Film Adaption of “A Child Called It”

#1 New York Times Bestseller Tells an Unforgettable Story of Child Abuse
Non-Profits Will Provide Expert Perspective, Help Raise Public Understanding of Child Abuse, and Provide Resources and Strategies for Prevention

CHICAGO and WASHINGTON, D.C, April 27, 2022 — Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) and Saving Promise, two of the nation’s leading nonprofits focused on the prevention of child abuse and domestic violence, have been named advocacy partners for the film adaptation of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, A Child Called It.

The iconic book tells the harrowing story of author David Pelzer’s physical and emotional abuse by an unstable, alcoholic mother before becoming a foster child at the age of 12. Since its release in 1995, the book has sold millions of copies worldwide and was a New York Times Bestseller for years.

As partners to the production, PCA America and Saving Promise will provide expert perspective on abuse-related issues, help the filmmakers raise public awareness and understanding of the societal conditions and issues underlying abuse, and provide resources and strategies for intervention and prevention.

“April is National Child Abuse Prevention month, and there couldn’t be a better time to announce this unique and powerful partnership,�

Speak Up to Prevent Child Abuse

Join us, alongside our partners nationwide, in contacting lawmakers to urge them to act now to reauthorize and increase funding for the bipartisan Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Your members of Congress need to hear from you! 

Act Now

The MIECHV program is a federal grant to states, territories, and Tribes that supports evidence-based home visiting for families and children from prenatal period through kindergarten entry. While the program’s ability to impact maternal and child health outcomes is clear, the current funding level limits its ability to reach the children and families who need it most. Only 150,000 of the 18 million current and expectant parents who could benefit from the program receive services. To bring the power of home visiting to more families and promote improved maternal health outcomes, we need Congress to reauthorize and increase funding. Unfortunately, the law that authorizes the MIECHV program will expire in September 2022, so we need your voice now more than ever. 

 Specifically, we’re requesting that Congress:   

Increase MIECHV funding over the next five years to reach more families and better support the workforce 
Double the tribal set-aside within MIECHV from 3% to 6%

Calling Out and Correcting Inequity and Injustice

Yet to accomplish this goal, we must address root causes and systemic factors that perpetuate inequities and injustices—a root that is founded in racism. To truly make an impact in child abuse prevention efforts, we cannot ignore the role long-standing racist policies and deeply integrated systems unfairly disadvantage children and families of color. We can start by understanding some of the influential factors—social determinants of health and racism—so we can learn how to begin the process of dismantling the discrimination. 

Social determinants of health are conditions in which we are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks¹ conditions vary because of unequal access to resources and opportunities like health care, safe housing, financial stability, and qu

Growing Better Together

We all have a role in preparing children to become healthy, thriving members of our community. All families and children succeed by growing a better tomorrow, together. 

Partners in Building Better Childhoods

Prevention starts with partnership. As part of Prevent Child Abuse America’s 50th anniversary in 2022, we are bringing together organizations and institutions who are committed to working across sectors to develop more just and equitable systems that benefit all children and families and break harmful intergenerational cycles of trauma and poverty.