The Children's Advocacy Center of Jackson County

Category: Substance Abuse

  • “Jayden” benefits from the Caring for Kids Campaign

    By Theresa Hart, Development Director for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County

    In March, we created three stories of children who have received services in our Medical Department for our Caring for Kids Campaign. These stories were based on real life experiences of children who had received services in our Medical Department. The details of their experiences were altered to protect their identities.

    “Jayden’s” story touched me very deeply.

    “Jayden” suffered sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend. She and her mother were brought to the Children’s Advocacy Center after her mother found her 13-year-old daughter inconsolable upon her return home.

    After disclosing the abuse at the Center, Jayden was brought to our Medical Department where she received a head to toe evaluation. Additionally, our in-house pediatrician administered a test for sexually transmitted infections and a pregnancy test. When she left the Center that day, Jayden carried with her a quilt and the assurance that she was healthy and that her body would be okay. Jayden is receiving therapy at the Center and her mother is in treatment for substance abuse.

    Jayden was fortunate to have come to the Children’s Advocacy Center where she could receive our specialized medical services, tell the story of her abuse and receive therapy in one child-focused center.

    There are many children who have experienced abuse and neglect in the Rogue Valley. The CAC is the only place of its kind In Jackson County. Last year, Jayden was the recipient of one of the more than 200 medical services performed by our Medical Department.

    Jayden suffered the kind of abuse we don’t like to talk about.

    But here’s the thing, child abuse is a community problem, and it requires a community response. CAC’s partners were involved throughout her story, from law enforcement, DHS, community members, businesses, and other local organizations. The quilt Jayden took home was made by a local church group.

    Community members and businesses can partner with us during the Caring for Kids Campaign to support our Medical Department services. These donations go to pay medical staff salaries, equipment, and supplies.

    We are recruiting a nurse practitioner to perform additional medical evaluations and services to extend our Medical Department hours to 40 per week. Now more than ever we need community partnerships and support to help us continue our work with abused children.

    There’s still time to partner with us during the Caring for Kids campaign. The deadline to make a donation is June 30. To make a difference in a life of other child victims, send your donation to 816 W. 10th Street, Medford, OR 97501.

    Thank you.

    Theresa Hart

     

  • The tragedy of Victoria Martens we must prevent in the future

    By Tammi Pitzen, Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County

    Today I am sitting in my office trying to get caught up after the big snow fall in Medford.  The office is officially closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  It is very quiet and peaceful here.

    I have been reading about a case out of New Mexico of some pretty horrific abuse.  Maybe you have read about it?  It caught my attention on Facebook on a friend’s feed. I remember hearing a little bit about this case earlier in the investigation.

    The child was ten years old and named Victoria Martens.

    She was sexually abused and killed by her Mother’s boyfriend and his cousin while the mom watched. I would not advise researching for more information on this case, as most of the reports I have read have been pretty graphic and pretty horrific.

    Most of my career in child protection I have categorized parents in two categories. There are those who do the best they can and that just isn’t good enough to keep their kids healthy and safe, so their children are abused. These parents have the ability to learn and have the desire to do so.  These parents are the parents that when their children are removed from their care, they are usually returned after a treatment plan.  Or maybe the children are left in their care with a treatment plan.

    Then there are the parents I say are, well, just “mean” parents.  It appears from the articles that I have read that Victoria unfortunately had a “mean” mom.  These are the parents that are somewhat sadistic and are just cruel.  I will admit that I do not know the truth of what happened and I am making judgements based on what I have read in the news article.

    There among the news reports on the case is an interview with the Mother’s parents.  The case reports state that the Mom watched her current boyfriend, and two other men before that, have sex with her daughter for her own sexual gratification.  (I wasn’t kidding when I said the reports were graphic…they are disturbing even to me after many years of hearing these kinds of stories.)  There are reports that she watched two people give her daughter, who was ten years-old, meth in order to calm her down so they could have sex with her.

    Victoria’s grandparents say that the child never said anything and appeared to be happy. A friend and neighbor of the mom states, “I know Victoria is in heaven saying forgive my mom.”   The grandparents agree.  The grandparents report that their daughter loved her children and was a hard working single mother.

    If that is the case, then that leaves the rest of us to ask what went wrong.  What can we learn from this in order to prevent it in the future? 

    I need to know, even though I do not know Victoria, that she did not die for her mom’s, and the others allegedly involved, own perverted reasons.  I need to know we, as in the global we, can do better for the Victorias in the world.

    I have poured over the news reports in this case.  My heart hurts.  I cry not understanding how this happens.  I compare it to my own life.  What would have to happen in my life that I would find myself there and allow this to happen to ANY one’s child.  I can come up with no scenarios.

    My only hope is that most people in this world are made up of a moral fiber that does not allow for events to happen that would end in this result for a child.  For any child.

    Everyone one interviewed, or at least that I could find to read, stated that there were no signs that this was going on.  The child seemed happy.  Mom is described as a hard working single mom.

    I wonder how many people in this child’s life had any education regarding identifying and responding to child sexual abuse.  The mom states in one of her interviews that there were other men, acquaintances of mom’s, who had sex with this child because mom liked to watch.

    I have a favor to ask of all those who are outraged and horrified by the Victoria Martens case. 

    If you believe that this ten year-old should not have been forced to have sex with the men in her mother’s life, if you think it is a tragedy that she was killed one day after her tenth birthday, and if you would do anything in your power to prevent this from happening to children in your life or in your community or in your child’s life or in your grandchild’s life, then please join the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County in our efforts to protect the children in our community from sexual abuse. 

    Sign up for a class through our Protect Our Children project.  There are public classes every month.  We will even do private classes for you if you have 5 people or more who are interested in protecting children.

    We can make a difference.  We can’t change what has already happened, but we can control what we do in the future to prevent these tragedies from happening.

    Let’s all decide together that we will not accept that Victoria’s abuse and death could not have been prevented, that there were no signs. 

     

     

  • A Call To Action

    This is a guest post by Robin Miller, MD MHS.

    Just over a week ago we lost a family friend to a heroin overdose. A drug that was rarely found in the mainstream when I was growing up is now extremely common in high schools, Middle American neighborhoods and even Wall Street. We have a major epidemic going on and it is out of control. This one will eventually touch each and every one of us if we do not get a handle on it.

    The use of heroin is being fueled by the exploding abuse of prescription pain medications such as Vicodan, Percocet and Oxycontin. The medical establishment has gotten wise to this and has made it more difficult to get these medications by prescription. People who have become hooked on them are now finding they are expensive to buy on the street. They turn to heroin, which is a much cheaper alternative. Unfortunately, heroin is laced with many other things. Most recently a very powerful drug called Fentanyl has been added resulting in multiple deaths from accidental overdoses.

    We are losing our youth to this horrible epidemic. It is frightening and incredibly tragic. What can we do to turn this around?

    Awareness is the first step. We need to recognize that this is a problem for all of us. Then we need to look at the bigger picture. Why are our children turning to drugs in the first place? There are many theories out there. The one that seems most plausible to me is that our society has become very complicated. Perfection is being paraded across our media screens. We have instant critiques on social media and for many of us our lives seem to be moving fast and out of control. This causes people to numb out and turn to things such as food, medication, and alcohol and of course, drugs.

    As a parent, what can you do?

    • I see parents out with their children more often than not, totally focused on their cell phones. It is disheartening. Get your children outside. Step away from your phones. Step away from your computers and be there to have fun and speak with your children, and when they talk to you, listen.

    • Eat healthy. It is essential for mental health that we eat a healthy diet. Fruits, vegetables, lean protein and avoidance of processed foods are a must. Children follow by example. It is important that we model good behavior for our kids. When they see you stress eating, they will stress eat. When they see you eating healthy, they will eat healthy.

    • Exercise. It boosts endorphins (those feel good chemicals) and teaches children healthy habits. It also is an important tool for handling stress.

    • Most importantly, love your children and help them to understand that perfection is an illusion. It does not exist. They do not need to be the star on the soccer team or a Harvard graduate to deserve your approval. They need to know that they are worthy of being loved regardless of what they achieve. The key is that they realize they are enough.

    We all fall and we all fail. Be there to listen and nurture and console, but let them fail. This is how we learn.

    There is no guarantee in life. And, drug abuse can occur in any family. Believe me, I know. However, if we are able to have children who learn how to cope with anxiety and fear in healthy ways and who feel loved and secure, I think that we will see many of the problems start to diminish. It is time as individuals that we take control and these simple steps can be very powerful.

    Start today. All of our children and the health of our society depend on it.

    Dr. Miller is board-certified in Internal Medicine, is a member of the American College of Physicians, Oregon Medical Association and Jackson County Medical Association and is widely published. Her most recent book is “The Smart Woman’s Guide to Midlife and Beyond: A No-Nonsense Approach to Staying Healthy After 50”. Dr. Miller is currently featured on Podcasts at STR8 UP, Health Talk for Teens. You can also see her Monday and Tuesday nights at 6 PM on Newschannel 5 KOBI-NBC where she is the medical expert for “Doctors on Call” and “Focus on Health.”Also check out her columns in the Grants Pass Daily Courier and Lifescript.com. Her blogs can be found at smartwomanshealth.com.