POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- The Cricket Center, an organization that helps reduce trauma caused by child abuse, will be opening up a satellite location in Pocomoke. It was made possible after county commissioners unanimously voted to reallocate $190,000.
It was a move that received support from the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, Office of the State's Attorney for Worcester County, Atlantic General Hospital, Department of Social Services, Life Crisis Center, Board of Education and the Community Foundation of Eastern Shore.
The money was initially requested so the center could relocate to Snow Hill from Berlin. But, Lauren Cooper, the Cricket Center's Executive Director, said that move was no longer possible.
"For us to maintain our national accreditation standards our office has to be within 15 miles of an emergency room so we can get kids immediate access to their healthcare services," said Cooper.
Their current location is on the Atlantic General Hospital campus. Opening a satellite location in Pocomoke, however, will also help to fill another void.
"We realized our needs were primarily the children down here in Pocomoke because the children and the caregivers down here in the south end of the county weren't being served," said Cooper.
A part of that reason, Cooper said, is a roughly 60 mile roundtrip for neighbors in Pocomoke to the Cricket Center's office in Berlin. Services such as forensic interviews, sexual assault forensic examinations and trauma focus therapy are all offered on-site in Berlin.
But once the location in Pocomoke opens up, those services will be a lot closer and more easily accessible for families in Pocomoke. Cooper said the goal is to have limited services available by January and have all services available in April.
And these services in Pocomoke is something Cooper said is needed.
"The [Worcester County] Board of Education has reached out to me multiple times over the last year because what's happening is that children, students are being victimized and they don't even realize it," said Cooper.
Social media has played a big part in that, and it's why Cooper said having boots on the ground in Pocomoke could make such a big difference.
"It's really important that our team is down here, we're talking to kids, we're getting into the schools and letting them know not only what are the signs of abuse, what are the signs of grooming behaviors but also what to do when that happens," said Cooper. "Having that open and candid conversation, because it is a public health crisis, and what we need to do is make sure we have the services and resources available."
For more info, you can visit the Cricket Centers website here.
