MISSOULA — A pediatric hospitalist at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula is on a mission to make sure kids across Montana are better protected from child abuse and neglect.
It all started years ago when a helicopter brought an infant to a Missoula hospital. The child wasn't breathing on his own, and that's when Dr. Laurie Carter stepped in.
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"On the CT, they saw that he had what are called subdural hemorrhages, which are areas of blood in the skull that are concerning for having sustained abusive head trauma," she explained to MTN News.
Tragically, the infant died. Carter, who was close to giving birth to her own child at the time, says over the years, she couldn't get the image of the baby, who had been significantly abused, out of her mind.
She thought earlier intervention might have changed the outcome, and something needed to be done to protect children across the state, especially those in rural areas, where training and resources are lacking, and red flags can be missed.
"In my mind, I was thinking: was there potentially a situation where a minor injury could have been recognized, and the family had gotten resources, so that this more devastating injury might not have occurred?" she shared.
Carter reached out to University of Montana researchers and started the partnership telehealth program, "Montana Child Abuse Network" or "MT CAN" to help rural providers and child welfare professionals.
MT CAN leaders welcome the program, as Montana is one of only five states that do not have a child abuse-trained pediatrician.
"I think Laurie's program will allow frontline professionals to feel less alone, to have that expertise, to have a second set of metaphorical eyes and ears," said Sara McClure Cox, a former pediatric nurse and the lead for the UM "RESOLVE" program.
"We've been very lucky in Missoula to be able to have well-trained professionals to work with on this, but for those that don't have that luxury across Montana, largely there isn't that level of collaboration to really be able to understand abusive injuries and what's happened," explained Kate Larcom, regional administrator for Child and Family Services in Montana.
As someone who also has gone through significant adverse experiences as a child, UM researcher and professor Dr. Jim Caringi is encouraged about what the future holds for Montana kids.
"I think it's really important to remember that adversity is not destiny, and I'm super motivated, as we all are on the project, to make sure that everyone, as many people as possible, can have the access to healthcare that they need," Caringi shared with MTN News.
Going forward, the hope is that this partnership between the University of Montana and Providence Health will lay the foundation for future funding and serve as a model for other states.
