Colorado State Archives

Executive Orders from the Administration of Governor Bill Owens 1999-2005

Press Office

November 2005

FOR RELEASE:
Tuesday, November 8, 2005

CONTACT:
Dan Hopkins 303-866-6324
Mark Salley 303-866-6323

OWENS ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF NEW COLORADO STATE CHILD FATALITY PREVENTION REVIEW TEAM

(DENVER) - Gov. Bill Owens today announced the appointment of 17 members to the Colorado State Child Fatality Prevention Review Team. The new commission, created by the passage of HB1280, will serve as a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency child fatality prevention system.

"The official creation of this body in statute was necessary to give official legal status to the state's efforts to understand and describe the trends and patterns of how children are dying in Colorado and also to continue to develop policies that result in a greater rate of prevention," said Owens. "I have the utmost confidence in all 17 of the appointees who make up this new review team."

The new Colorado State Child Fatality Prevention Review Team will continue to review deaths of children from birth to 18 years of age, involving circumstances in which the children are receiving services from a county department – or deaths in which there has been a report of suspected abuse or neglect. The team also reviews all other unexplained or unexpected deaths of children, including deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes, violence, suicide, drowning and SIDS.

The Governor appoints all 17 members, each of whom serve three-year terms. Senate confirmation is not required.

The new Colorado State Child Facility Prevention System law puts into statutes a voluntary, multi-disciplinary review process that has been in place at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment since 1988. The statute was passed to give the work of the team an official status; to require an annual report to the General Assembly on policy and law changes that the team recommends be adopted by the Legislature; and to make it possible for team recommendations for preventing deaths of Colorado children from various causes to become a part of the official policies of various state agencies.

The new team, which also will be based at the Department of Public Health and Environment, will continue work with the following goals in mind.

• To describe trends and patterns of child death in Colorado.
• To identify and investigate the prevalence of risk factors for child death.
• To characterize high-risk groups in terms compatible with the development of public policy.
• To evaluate the service and system responses to children and families who are at high risk and to offer recommendations for improvement in those responses.
• To improve the quality and scope of data necessary for child death investigation and review.

• William G. Frangis of Elizabeth, representing county sheriffs
• Charles R. Urbach of Haxtun, representing county sheriffs from rural areas
• Amy Martin of Denver, representing county coroners
• Kelly C. Lear-Kaul of Littleton, representing county coroners
• Brad L. Lenderink of Parker, representing peace officers who specialize in crimes against children
• Laurel M. Vandermuelen of Englewood, representing police officers who specialize in crimes against children
• Christine E. Schober of Parker, representing district attorneys
• Atrelle Jones of Fort Morgan, representing district attorneys from rural areas
• Larry J. Matthews, M.D., of Littleton, representing physicians who specialize in traumatic injury or children's health
• Donna Rosenberg, M.D., of Denver, representing physicians who specialize in traumatic injury or children's health
• Margaret A. Ferguson, M.D., of Denver, representing physicians who specialize in traumatic injury or children's health
• Kathryn M. Wells, M.D., of Firestone, representing physicians who specialize in traumatic injury or children's health
• Mary Pat DeWald, R.N., of Evergreen, representing nurses who specialize in traumatic injury or children's health
• Theresa A. Rapstine, R.N., of Denver, representing nurses who specialize in traumatic injury or children' health
• Robin J. Adair of Monument, representing a local fire department
• Rebecca Parker of Denver, representing county attorneys who practice in the area of dependency and neglect
• David E. Long of New Raymer, representing county commissioners

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