Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Richmond, Virginia
Meeting of the State Child Fatality Review Team
July 10, 2012
Minutes
Members Present:
Barry, Wayne, Virginia Department of Education
Board, Heather, Virginia Department of Health
Bush, Leah, Chief Medical Examiner
Casteel, Tom, Washington County Department of Social Services
Connal, Betty, SIDS Mid-Atlantic
Coyle, Betty Wade, Prevent Child Abuse Virginia
DiAngelo, Constance, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Foster, Robin, Virginia College of Emergency Physicians
Hunter, Katharine, Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
Katzman, Rita L., Virginia Department of Social Services
Milteer, Regina, Virginia Pediatric Society
Moline, Kathleen, Virginia Department of Health
Rainey, Janet, Division of Vital Records
Sonenklar, Neil, Virginia Treatment Center for Children
Members Absent:
Cardounel, Humberto, Henrico County Police
DeLuca, Steven, Hanover County Emergency Medical Services
Ferraro, Mark, Virginia SIDS Alliance
Rhodes, Jennifer, Medical Society of Virginia
Romero, Frank, Richmond Ambulance Authority
Wilson, Mary, Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services
Ziglar, Joan Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Martinsville
Invited Guest:
Ledden, Jack, Virginia Department of Social Services
Staff:
Gambill, Emily, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Powell, Virginia, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Emily Gambill called the meeting to order at 10:15 a.m. and went over the agenda for the meeting.
Announcements and Business:
Team members welcomed Jack Ledden, Director of the Division of Family Services, Virginia
Department of Social Services, to the meeting. Mr. Ledden attended the meeting on behalf of the
State Board of Social Services to observe the Team’s process of case review.
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Minutes from the May 11, 2012 meeting were approved as written.
Kathleen Moline announced the Virginia Department of Health’s receipt of a HRSA grant to study
screening practices for defects causing critical congenital heart disease in newborns. The grant will
allow the Virginia Department of Health to assess screening practices and develop strategies to
address the most efficient and effective ways to implement screening across the state.
Rita Katzman announced that she and Virginia Powell participated in a pilot project established by
the Administration on Children, Youth and Families that is reviewing and analyzing fatality review
teams and their recommendations and outcomes as they work together at local and regional levels.
The study seeks to identify ways to reduce duplication of case review and recommendation and is
interested in identifying how recommendations are implemented successfully to become practice.
Dr. Powell and Ms. Katzman met with project representatives in June and will convene with them
again, along with representatives from the other states involved in the study, in August to discuss
the study’s findings.
Wayne Barry announced that Virginia is one of twenty-nine states granted a waiver from some
requirements of the No Child Left Behind law. Mr. Barry also announced the retirement of one of
the Department of Education’s assistant superintendents and his replacement by John Eisenberg.
Finally, Mr. Barry announced that Virginia’s Special Education State Performance Plan has met
with approval from the United States Department of Education.
Katharine Hunter informed the Team that the General Assembly appropriated $3 million for
community response and child psychiatry programs, which will be developed with a regional
approach. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has begun working
with regions to develop grant proposals that are creative and seek to stretch funds already in place.
On behalf of Mary Wilson, Emily Gambill reminded the Team about the Improving Investigation
and Prosecution of Child Abuse: Demystifying Technology conference to be held September 1819, 2012 in Roanoke, VA. Registration is available on the Department of Criminal Justice Services
website and Ms. Gambill will email the link to the Team.
Child Protective Services Update
Ms. Katzman provided the Team with an update of changes made to mandatory reporter laws,
which include new mandatory reporters and revised timeframes for general reporting, penalties, and
reporting of suspicions of substance-exposed newborns by health care providers. Out of fourteen
bills in the General Assembly, five were passed and Ms. Katzman distributed a handout that was
developed for local departments of social services that summarizes these new changes. Changes to
this section of the Virginia Code were initiated by the sexual assault of young boys at The
Pennsylvania State University. Several Team members raised concerns that, despite the General
Assembly’s intention to solve problems in Virginia’s statutes related to mandatory reporting in
cases similar to the Penn State case, Virginia’s new mandatory reporting laws will likely not
prevent these problems. With regard to training on mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse
and neglect, there is a free online course available on the Department of Social Services website for
orientation of new mandatory reporters. Wayne Barry volunteered to seek information regarding
the Department of Education’s online module for teachers seeking licensure renewal and will work
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with Ms. Katzman to ensure that this module is updated with the changes to this section of the
Code.
Confidential Case Review
The Team went into confidential session for purposes of recommendations and case review. The
Team reviewed eight cases where an infant died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or Sudden
Undetermined Infant Death. Unsafe sleep arrangements were a factor in many of these deaths.
The next Team meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 11, 2012.
The meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m.
Minutes recorded by Emily Gambill, M.P.A.
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