PolicyLab

PolicyLab Co-Director Dr. David Rubin, MSCE, serves as one of twelve Commissioners on the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF). Created by the Protect Our Kids Act, the Commission must submit its recommendations for a national strategy to eliminate child abuse and neglect fatalities to the president and Congress by early 2016.

In a new Pediatrics Perspective, Dr. Rubin joins colleagues Rachel Berger and David Sanders in discussing the importance of accountability of medical providers, specifically pediatricians in creating a unified front to prevent child abuse and neglect fatalities. The perspective encourages pediatricians and health systems to engage with other community service providers in a more fundamental way to identify and provide preventative services for high-risk families. As health care systems move toward integration of services for families, including with the community services, pediatricians will be increasingly accountable to provide more direct links to services in behavioral health for both parents and children, whether through direct partnership with providers or more efficient processes of referral. Learn more about the role of pediatricians in preventing child maltreatment fatalities by accessing the Pediatrics Perspective here.