[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 66 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       10TH ANNIVERSARY OF YORK COUNTY CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER

 Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, today I rise to congratulate the 
York County Children's Advocacy Center on the celebration of their 10th 
anniversary.
  The York County Children's Advocacy Center opened its doors in May of 
2006 in York, PA. Since its opening, the center has stayed true to its 
mission ``to reduce the trauma of child abuse investigations, foster 
professional collaboration and cooperation, and provide education and 
advocacy regarding the prevention of child abuse within the 
community.''
  Without a child advocacy center, if a child is brave enough to report 
abuse, that child is often required to retell and, thus, relive the 
abuse through multiple, repetitive interviews with child protective 
services, prosecutors, police, victim services, and medical and mental 
health providers. The interviews often occur in places that magnify the 
child's trauma--police stations, emergency rooms, or offices of lawyers 
and social workers.
  The York Child Advocacy Center, by contrast, brings together law 
enforcement, trained interviewers, child protective services, medical 
providers, and mental health experts in a child-friendly, safe house, 
where an abused child feels secure and only has to undergo one 
interview and one physical exam.
  As a result of the center's tireless efforts, over 3,000 children 
have received vital services. The York County Children's Advocacy 
Center has achieved many important milestones. Some of these milestones 
include earning full accreditation through the National Children's 
Alliance, expanding their forensic interviewing and forensic medical 
services, and being accepted as a United Way partner agency. Each of 
these milestones has allowed the York County Children's Advocacy Center 
to better serve the most vulnerable in our society, our children.
  On behalf of the Senate, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to 
the York County Children's Advocacy Center as they celebrate 10 years 
of dedicated service to York County's children and families.

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