2011_Cooper-Anthony

At the March 1 Council meeting, Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center Director Janice F. McCutcheon addressed the knights about her work with abused children.  She was introduced by Brother Ray Peters for Lecturer Jim Passe. 

St. Joseph's Mercy Health System confronted the problem of child abuse head on in the spring of 2003 by founding the Advocacy Center, Arkansas' first and only hospital-based facility for child abuse and neglect.  ln keeping with a St. Joseph's Mercy tradition of providing health care with compassion and Christian values, the Center's highly-trained professionals employed a child-focused, child-friendly approach while serving 207 patients in its first year.  In 2008, the Advocacy Center served 12 Arkansas counties, provided 493 interviews, and performed 174 medical exams.

Services at the Advocacy Center include forensic interviewing, medical examinations, child advocacy, prevention programs, trainings, and public awareness. The Center also features a children's healing refuge called Chloe's Garden. In keeping with the mission of the Sisters of Mercy, all services are free to the families of Garland and surrounding counties.


Today, once an allegation of child abuse or neglect is reported to law enforcement or child protection authorities, the child is referred to the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center.  From the moment of arrival at the Center, children are in the company of people who care and are working together to ensure their needs come first.  A portion of St. Joseph's financial support for the Center comes from the Mercy Health Foundation.  

(Note: The Council Officers awarded $500 to the Child Advocacy Center at their March 15 meeting.)

Janice received her B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and her Master of Social Work  from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  She is the Director of the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center in Hot Springs.  As a trained Forensic Interviewer (the first in Arkansas), she has been interviewing since November, 2000.  She conducts legally defensible interviews with children and teens who have either been abused or witnessed abuse.

Janice is also a certified law enforcement instructor.  For two years she was a core trainer for Child First Arkansas, a nationally recognized training geared for front line child abuse investigators, forensic interviewers, and prosecutors.  Janice conducts other training throughout the state.  In addition, from July 2008 through January 2010 she served as State Chapter President of Children's Advocacy Centers  of Arkansas.  

For more information on how you can invest in the future of health care through the Mercy Health Foundation, please call 501-622-2531.