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Springfield, MO

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2016 Health Care Champions Nurse: Patricia Webb

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Patricia Webb works on the frontlines in the fight against child abuse in the Ozarks.

A 12-year pediatric nurse practitioner for the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield, Webb’s expertise helps identify and protect victims of physical and sexual abuse under the age of 17 across 16 counties in southwest and south-central Missouri.

“I help each child we see take his or her first step toward a life without abuse,” Webb says. “If I treat [a] child gently and with respect, the healing process can begin and then continue as I refer the child to additional services.”

The impact of child abuse on individuals and their communities can be staggering.

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that reviewed cases from 2008, child protective services in the United States received 3 million complaints of child abuse – about six complaints per minute – with authorities classifying about 772,000 children as being mistreated. Of those, 1,740 children ages newborn to 17 died. The study determined the total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with this year of confirmed cases was roughly $124 billion.

“A lifetime of problems follows the victimization of a child, particularly if the child receives no therapy or support,” Webb says. “Abused children often drop out of school, become pregnant as teens, begin cutting, abuse drugs and alcohol, commit crimes – boys, in particular, experience violent behavioral changes – and more.”

Webb says as they age, these children then tax social services, law enforcement, and the legal system.

“This does not even take into account lost productivity of an unemployed adult,” she says.

Her weapons in the fight against abuse include a sexual assault forensic exam for sexual abuse cases and a child at-risk exam for physical abuse or neglect. The independently reviewed evaluations then become part of a criminal investigation, which can lead to her testimony in court. For Webb, each case is personal.

“As an abused child myself, I know the feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and despair,” she says. “Motivation from my personal pain led me to become a nurse where I could nurture and provide care to those in need.”

She began her career as a public health nurse in Liberty in 1978 after graduating with a bachelor’s in nursing. In the 1990s, she was a founding member of the Kansas City Lead Poisoning Committee, and she served as a program manager for the Child Health Services Program.

She says one of the most rewarding aspects of her work is seeing brave children who have been through horrific ordeals blossom in the CAC environment. At first, she says they are often shy, but as they start playing with toys and opening up to staff about their siblings, school and friends, they can begin to laugh and shine.

“People often ask me how I do my job. And there are definitely tough days when I have to hold back the tears. But there is also joy in this journey,” she says. “I am helping children and families heal and get the help they need.”

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