Each April – in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month – Crescent House, Navicent Health encourages discussion of this important issue through an annual Child Abuse Prevention Symposium.
 
The sixth annual Child Abuse Prevention Symposium, scheduled Wednesday, April 11 from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., will take place at The Medical Center, Navicent Health’s Peyton Anderson Health Education Center, located at 877 Hemlock Street in Macon.
 
Topics at this year’s symposium include Sex Trafficking: Signs, Symptoms and How We Can Help; Cyberbullying; and Trauma & the Forgotten Senses. Keynote speaker Felicia Johnson, author and behavioral health worker, will share her life story about surviving abuse and living with mental illness.
 
This event is open to the public. Law enforcement, social workers, medical professionals and educators are particularly encouraged to attend. Participants may register at www.navicenthealth.org ($30 registration fee, $15 for students with student ID).
 
In support of the fight to end abuse and neglect, a representative of Macon-Bibb County will present a proclamation at 8:45 a.m. declaring the consolidated government’s commitment to support children and families by ending the cycle of abuse and neglect.
 
“April is a time to recognize that each member of the community has a role in promoting the social and emotional wellbeing of children and families. Ending the cycle of abuse and neglect is an effort that requires the vigilance of all members of our community. Crescent House and Navicent Health are pleased to partner with Macon-Bibb County, as well as the Board of Education, Division of Family and Children’s Services, District Attorney’s Office, local law enforcement and public safety agencies and healthcare organizations to address this issue,” said Kemberlie Sanderson, Manager of Crescent House, Navicent Health.
 
Since beginning services in 1997, Crescent House, Navicent Health – a children’s advocacy center designed to meet the needs of children who have made allegations of abuse – has cared for approximately 11,700 children. Crescent House is not a shelter but a facility supplied with state-of-the-art equipment that enables specially trained professionals to conduct effective, consistent, non-threatening interviews and examinations of children who have made these allegations. It is a “one-stop shop,” utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach to the investigation, treatment and prevention of child abuse.
 
Exchange Club of Macon and Crescent House have partnered annually to sponsor the Child Abuse Prevention Symposium. This year marks the sixth year of this symposium and the partners are pleased to lead the community discussion and efforts to combat abuse and neglect.