public health nurses

Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors is moving quickly to address the role of public health nurses in child protection. On July 19, Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis will issue a motion that would direct a handful of county agencies to determine the “feasibility, benefits and detriments, if any, and fiscal viability” of moving the 103 public health nurses employed by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to the Department of Public Health (DPH).

A June 30 report calling for the termination of Los Angeles County’s experimental public health nurse program has sparked a rich debate about the role of such nurses in child abuse investigations.

“Is he crawling? Is he crying? How often does he eat?” These are a few of the questions that Stephanie Mokolo, a public health nurse recently hired by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), will ask parents about their babies and toddlers when she starts visiting their homes in Compton, Calif.

By Han Jiang A bill proposed in February would require the California Department of Social Services to create a new system where public health nurses monitor the prescription of psychotropic medications to foster youth.

The reforms enshrined in a Los Angeles County blue ribbon commission report may be one step closer to reality with the recent appointment of a new child protection leader for the county.

This presentation outlines how public health nurses may be integrated into child abuse or neglect investigations for all children age 0 to 24 months in Los Angeles County. It was presented by the county CEO’s office on October 27, 2014, during a meeting of the transition team tasked to oversee child welfare reform in the county.

Researchers from the University of Colorado, Aurora and the University of Rochester conducted a study to determine the effects of a public-health nurse home visitation program on at-risk mothers and children.