LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Pinwheels recognizing the start of Child Abuse Awareness Month were planted Friday at Norton Women's and Children's Hospital.
The awareness effort officially kicks off Monday. Data shows about a dozen children out of every thousand experience maltreatment in Kentucky.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Children's Bureau, the state's rate of child abuse was 12.3 per 1,000 in 2022, meaning about a dozen out of every 1,000 children in the state experienced some form of maltreatment that year.
The state also has the fourth-highest response time in the country. It takes an average of about nine days to contact a family or child after a report is made.
"Child abuse is 100% preventable," said Dr. Melissa Currie, child abuse pediatrician, said. "Even if we are not caregivers of children ourselves, we can be community support for those who are."
Doctors said child abuse prevention and support can be something as simple as reaching out to a stressed out caregiver and offering to babysit.
The planting of pinwheels at the entrance of the hospital on Dutchmans Lane is an annual tradition for the hospital.Â
For more information about child abuse prevention, click here.
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