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Pediatric specialists scarce; Nevada group expands training and seeks legislative support
Summary
Dr. Terrence McAllister told the committee Nevada lacks a child-abuse pediatrician and the subcommittee is using CAPTA funds and regional training partnerships to improve evaluations while pursuing a statewide medical-legal network and legislative engagement.
Dr. Terrence McAllister, president of the Nevada chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the committee a shortage of child-abuse pediatricians in the U.S. limits Nevada's ability to recruit a specialist to the state.
"There are only about 400 child abuse pediatricians in the country," McAllister said, explaining why the subcommittee shifted from recruiting a specialist to expanding training for existing providers. He described partnerships with the University of Utah's child-abuse recognition and evaluation training and said CAPTA funds have been used to pay for training and to sustain sending Nevada pediatricians to get certified.
McAllister highlighted operational successes in Washoe County, where Renown Hospital's child-protection team has trained providers and uses a uniform evaluation process that coordinates with child-advocacy centers and law enforcement. He said the group plans to present to the Health and Human Services interim committee in June to seek legislative support for a statewide medical-legal network modeled on a Kansas program and to explore recruitment and retention strategies, including funding trainee fellowships with return-service commitments to Nevada.
The presentation emphasized incremental capacity-building (training, networks, mentorship) while acknowledging the longer-term goal of recruiting a permanent child-abuse pediatrician to the state.
