Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453
Published: April 20, 2024
By: Courtesy of Children’s of Alabama
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the CHIPS Center at Children’s of Alabama wants to raise awareness about child abuse and spread a message of hope for those who have been affected by it.
Since 1995, Children’s Hospital Intervention & Prevention Services (CHIPS) has served as an outpatient clinic where children who have experienced suspected abuse and their families impacted by suspected abuse can come for support, hope, and healing.
“We offer a variety of services, including forensic medical exams for suspected child abuse,” says Debra Schneider, executive director of the CHIPS Center. “We also provide counseling and conduct prevention education at the CHIPS Center and in the community.”
The CHIPS Center has a team of specialized physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, and counselors. The staff works with law enforcement, the Department of Human Resources, and child advocacy representatives.
Schneider says if you suspect abuse, you should report it immediately. Anyone can report suspected abuse to the local Department of Human Resources. If you have any questions regarding child abuse, you can contact the CHIPS Center between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call the Children’s of Alabama Emergency Department. You can also call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
“Child abuse is preventable through supervision, through knowing your child, listening to your child, having good communication, and knowing that if something changes with your child to reach out to him or her and let them know you are there to help,” says Schneider.
The CHIPS Center will participate in the third annual Pinwheels for Prevention, which will be held on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to Noon at Veterans Park (7305 Highway 119) in Alabaster. Children’s of Alabama will also shine a light to raise awareness. The hospital will be lit in blue throughout April.
For more information on the CHIPS Center, call 205-638-2751 or visit childrensal.org/CHIPS. Call or text the Children’s of Alabama media hotline at 205-800-4052 to arrange an interview with one of our experts.
About Children’s of Alabama
Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, offering inpatient, outpatient, and primary care throughout Central Alabama. Ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s serves patients from every county in Alabama and nearly every state. Children’s is a private, not-for-profit medical center that serves as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric medicine, surgery, psychiatry, research, and residency programs. The medical staff consists of UAB faculty and Children’s full-time physicians, as well as private practicing community physicians.