Jan 3, 2023
Host, Dr. Catherine Cerulli, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester, is joined by her guest, Nila Bragg, MSN, CPNP, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and a Medical Consultant for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). ACS’s mission is to protect and promote the safety and well-being of New York City’s children. As part of that work, child protective specialists from ACS conduct investigations to determine what is needed to best keep the children safe. For instance, to help keep families together, child protective specialists often connect families to services that can help, including counseling, substance abuse treatment, and access to concrete resources, like food, diapers clothing and even child care vouchers. Throughout this work, it is important that ACS child protective staff understand a variety of medical issues that the family may be coping with, as well as treatments, in order to better identify whether there are any potential safety risks. As a Medical Consultant for ACS, Nila provides consultation to child protective specialists who have clients with complex medical histories. Nila helps CPS better connect children and their families with services that best support caregivers as they manage their child’s medical needs. Nila’s key message is that educating families and connecting them to resources is paramount to not only improve children’s health, but connections also support the overall well-being of children and their families.