MEDIA ALERT
For Immediate Release
July 11, 2019
Contact:
Justin Worsley
917.746.8299 * jworsley@napnap.org
Healthcare Experts on Child Trafficking Available for You
New York, July 11, 2019 – Child or teen prostitution is a myth. Underage sex workers are child trafficking victims who sustain physical and mental abuse from their adult traffickers regardless of the trafficker’s position in society. There are long-term impacts to the health and well-being of these children and teens that when left unidentified and untreated can affect them for the rest of their lives.
In response to the child trafficking headlines this week, NAPNAP Partners for Vulnerable Youth has experts from its Alliance for Child Trafficking who are available to the media for telephone, in-person or video interviews.
Jessica Peck, DNP, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC, CNE, CNL is a director of NAPNAP Partners for Vulnerable Youth. In addition to developing child trafficking educational training for pediatric healthcare providers, Dr. Peck has researched child trafficking and presented to numerous healthcare and public stakeholder groups in recent years. She was the expert for a national radio media tour to discuss the misperceptions of the estimated $32 billion trafficking industry and how to identify and help child victims. Dr. Peck practices in primary care and is on faculty at Texas A&M’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She is located in the Houston area.
Dawn Lee Garzon Maaks, PhD, CPNP-PC, PMHS, FAANP, is a director of NAPNAP Partners for Vulnerable Youth. Along with her 20-plus years as a pediatric nurse practitioner, she holds a certification as a pediatric primary care mental health specialist. Dr. Garzon Maaks has extensive publication and speaking experience in the areas of pediatric mental health and pediatric primary care and can speak to the short-term and long-term mental health impacts of child trafficking. She is located in Washington state.
Tresa Zielinski, DNP, RN, APN-NP, CPNP-PC is the chair for the Alliance for Children in Trafficking. Dr. Zielinski has been a pediatric nurse practitioner for 20 years practices in emergency care. Her years of work helping victims of sexual assault give her expertise on this aspect of human trafficking and the impact sexual assault on victims and their families. She is located in Chicago.
About NAPNAP Partners for Vulnerable Youth:
NAPNAP Partners for Vulnerable Youth is dedicated to the health and well-being of all children but especially the most vulnerable children in the U.S. Its partners include pediatric nurse practitioners, fellow pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) and nurses, pediatricians, child health and wellness specialists, generous philanthropists, foundations and organizations, dedicated caregivers and other stakeholders. NAPNAP Partners feels a special responsibility to lead a broad array of colleagues and partners in developing and delivering focused initiatives to improve the lives of the most vulnerable infants, children, adolescents and young adults in the U.S. The needs of these children are as different as their unique challenges. NAPNAP Partners is a 501(c)(3) organization, and was founded by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). NAPNAPpartners.org