News Releases

March 19, 2010

Mercy Child Advocacy Center Reaccredited by National Association

The Child Advocacy Center at Mercy Medical Center—Sioux City has earned renewed accreditation by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), a highly regarded not-for-profit organization whose mission is to establish and improve children’s advocacy centers across the nation.

The Mercy Child Advocacy Center, which was the first child protection program in the state of Iowa to gain national accreditation, has earned continued accreditation by meeting an array of rigorous standards. Approval of Mercy’s program followed a full program review and site visit by NCA reviewers.

Established in 1989, the Mercy Child Advocacy Center has effectively helped thousands of children who were the victims of abuse. Physicians, social workers, nurses, family advocates, officials from the Department of Human Services (DHS), law enforcement, the county attorney’s office and the juvenile court system work together to ensure that the physical and emotional needs of child victims are fully met.

The program is devoted to the accurate detection of child abuse and the careful investigation of alleged child abuse in a 33 county area in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Under the watchful eye of specially trained medical team, the Mercy Child Advocacy Center provides specialized medical evaluation and treatment for the child victim. Expert interviews of the child victim are conducted at the center in a neutral, fact-finding manner. Specialized mental health services and follow-up care also complement the overall response, along with child victim support and advocacy throughout the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.

The Mercy Child Advocacy Center also leads educational efforts that seek to prevent child abuse in the Siouxland region.

For more information about Mercy Child Advocacy Center’s services, call (712) 279-2458 or 1-800-582-0684.

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