The Hannah Rose Foundation

Proclamation: Child Abuse Prevention Month

Auburn Journal : Penne Usher, Journal Staff Writer
Saturday, March 31, 2007

Placer County law enforcement and fire departments united Friday in front of the Placer County Historic Courthouse to bring public awareness to child abuse.

“April has been designated as Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month, and we are joining forces to recognize this tragic event that we respond to on a daily basis,” said Capt. Rick Ward of the Auburn-area California Highway Patrol. “Child abuse is a nationwide tragedy that can happen anywhere, anytime.”

Scott Juceam, whose daughter Hannah Rose was allegedly shaken to death by the family’s nanny last year, spoke at Friday’s ceremony.

“Parents like us must carry the burden of education for those who can’t speak,” Juceam said.

Juceam started the Hannah Rose Foundation to raise money and to educate the public about the fatal consequences of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

“We are really happy two have everybody here as co-champions of our cause,” Juceam said.

Child abuse affects children of all ages, race and income, although national statistics show that the youngest children (4 years or younger) experience the highest rates of victimization, Ward said.

Most recent National Child Abuse and Neglect Data figures reveal that almost 500,000 children are reported as victims of abuse or neglect daily in United States, causing unspeakable pain and suffering to our most vulnerable citizens, Ward said.

In this region, there are nearly 700 reports of neglect or abuse weekly. However, research suggests that the actual numbers could be as much as two to three times higher, due to the numerous unreported cases.

To further awareness of child-abuse prevention in Placer County all public safety agencies, including law enforcement and fire departments will show their solidarity by placing Hannah’s bumper sticker on official vehicles for the month of April.

“We hope that with this joint effort we can raise awareness and promote positive alternatives for parents and caregivers,” Ward said.

Veronica Martinez Salcedo, a 36-year-old nanny who is accused of shaking 15-month-old Hanna Rose to death May 11, 2006 in her parents’ Roseville home will face a jury trial in August.

She has been charged with the murder of baby Hannah Rose Juceam, which carries a sentence of 25-to-life.

The Journal’s Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com.

Shaken Baby Bill needs Nevada & Placer County Support

Dear Partners,

You are in a unique position to help advocate shaken baby syndrome legislation right now. We are excited to share with you that legislation we are sponsoring to reduce shaken baby syndrome, SB 468 (Padilla), is going to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Both of your state senators, Sam Aanestad and Dave Cox, are on the committee and so we hope you will contact them to express how important this bill is to children. Senator Cox is the vice chair of the committee, so his support is especially important. Earning the support of the Appropriations Committee is one of the most challenging steps in the legislative process, and hearing from many local voices can make a substantial impression on legislators. We have put together this e-mail and the attachments to make this process as easy as possible for you.

What you can do:

• insert your personal or organizational info into the attached letters and fax them to Senator Aanestad’s and Senator Cox’s offices at the fax numbers on the letters
• forward this e-mail to peer organizations, and local business and community leaders who you know, and friends who may be interested
• let us know how you’re doing and if you have any questions
• Please email or fax a copy to Danielle at dmole@thecapcenter.org or 916-244-1950 so that we can keep track of our progress

Finding Your Senator:

Senator Aanestad represents the eastern and Senator Cox the western portions of Nevada and Placer Counties. You can find out who your state senator is by entering your address here.

Maps are available here.

More about SB 468 (Padilla):

This bill will provide a pilot program of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) prevention education to new parents at hospitals in up to ten counties. The project will be modeled on the successful New York state SBS Prevention Project and will be evaluated for effectiveness. Under current law, hospitals are asked to distribute SBS information if it is provided to them, but there is no statewide program to implement this and make sure the strategy is effective.

Thank you for all your help. Together, we can reduce shaken baby syndrome in California!

Danielle Mole, MA
Program Manager, Legislative Affairs
dmole@thecapcenter.org, (916) 244-1938

Eileen Hlavka
Policy Analyst
ehlavka@thecapcenter.org, (916) 244-1917

Prevent Child Abuse California
at the Child Abuse Prevention Center
4700 Roseville Road, Suite 101
North Highlands, CA 95660
(916) 244-1950 FAX
www.pca-ca.org

Sample Constituent Letter to Dave Cox
Sample Constituent Letter to Sam Aanestad
One-Page Position Paper

The Run For Hannah was a HUGE sucess and we thank you for your support!

Adam Horwitz finished in 5:54.25
Courtney Stanton finished in 4:43.22

If you donated to the cause, we will contact you this week to arrange for the payment of your sponsorship. We want to thank everyone for the help to raise the awareness on Shaken Baby Syndrome. We are so happy that we had such success in our first Run.

Thanks from the Bottom of our Hearts,
Scott, Lorena, Jordan and little Ben Juceam