Center expands to aid children

Dee Norton facility adds 2nd medical examination room

Alan Hawes
The Post and Courier

Kathleen Flynn (right) and Beverly Hutchinson of the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center in a new exam room at the facility that works with abused children.

The Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center on King Street is a haven for young victims of abuse. Its bright decor and nautical murals belie the trauma of the children who gather there.

It's a "one-stop" for victims and families, and staff members begin with an interview when there is an allegation of abuse. About 80 percent of the center's cases involve sexual abuse.

Based on the interview, a medical exam may follow. Next, the center mobilizes with one of its many partners to address medical, legal, social service and mental health issues.

The number of those seeking help has increased more than 28 percent since July 2004, triggering a need for more medical space, where evidence may be gathered and cases built against perpetrators. In less than six months, the center raised $60,000, half of which came from two donors, and built a second exam room, nearly doubling the number of patients that can be seen.

Children are funneled to the center through 45 area agencies, including police departments, school districts and departments of social services. Referrals also come in from professionals, such as teachers or pediatricians, who are required to report abuse. Since the center was founded in 1991 by the Junior League, the nonprofit has helped more than 14,500 children.

One reason for the increase is the closure of Carolina Medical Assessment Center, which provided exams, said Kathleen Flynn, director of finance and operation.

Increased awareness is another reason for the upward trend, said Development Coordinator Beverly Hutchison . But there's always more abuse than reported, she said.

"We had a need for more medical space," Hutchison said.

The Medical University of South Carolina offered to staff a second room if the center could fund its construction. Architect Rush Dixon designed the space for free, and Hill Construction did the work at cost.

Enough money was left to purchase a second colposcope, a lighted magnifying instrument that allows for non-invasive exams of young children and costs $27,000.

Flynn shared a story at the nonprofit's February fundraiser that demonstrated the value of that piece of equipment.

A little girl in Mount Pleasant returned home from playing outside and told her baby sitter that she had just been abused. The sitter called the girl's mother, and her mother called for help.

"She believed and protected," said Flynn, the center's director of finance and operation.

The Mount Pleasant police escorted the girl and her mother to the center, where an interview was conducted. The officer listened on a closed circuit from a second room and, based on the girl's description of what happened, was able call in a warrant on a suspect, Flynn said.

Next, the girl was examined by a doctor and evidence was gathered with a colposcope.

The suspect was arrested and is in jail awaiting trial, Flynn said.

After she told that story at the auction, "The paddles flew up," she said.

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.