The first training session at ADME was held July 26. Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center is able to provide the training thanks to a grant awarded to the center.
Students at Academy of Dental and Medical Educators (ADME) in Tullahoma will be equipped with knowledge to prevent child abuse. Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center and ADME have partnered to offer free classes for students to learn to recognize red flags and to react appropriately if they notice signs of child abuse. Each student who completes the training receives free materials and a certificate of completion.
The Coffee County CAC serves children who are victims of severe child abuse in Coffee County. The center served nearly 350 children in 2020. ADME offers training and certification courses for dental assistants, dental hygienists and dentists.
Dr. Steve Lynn, with Pediatric Dental Centers in Tullahoma, said raising awareness and learning about child abuse is essential to battling child abuse. He is thankful to be able to offer this opportunity to ADME students and to prepare them to protect children. This training is “excellent, important, timely, valuable, eye opening and compassionate,” said Lynn.
Joyce Prusak, executive director of Coffee County CAC, commended Lynn and ADME students for taking necessary steps to prevent child abuse in Coffee County. “Child abuse has tremendous negative impacts on children and the community,” Prusak said. “The negative impacts can be minimized when community members become involved and learn about the issue. Some people avoid the topic. I know the topic is not pleasant, but we must talk and learn about it. Together, we can end child abuse in Coffee County. I’m proud of ADME students for completing the child abuse prevention training.”
The first training session at ADME was held July 26. Coffee County CAC is able to provide the training thanks to a grant awarded to the center. The center’s authorized facilitators use Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children program to empower adults with knowledge to prevent child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse involves sexual contact between a child and an adult; or a sexual contact between a child and another child who forces sexual contact. Statistics show that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be sexually abused by age 18.
For more information about preventing child abuse, follow Coffee County CAC on social media and visit coffeecountycac.com. Schedule a free training session by emailing elena@coffeecountycac.com.
