$1.6 Million to Reduce Child Trauma; Military Families a Priority

Left to right: Margaret Holland McDuff, CEO of Family Service of RI; Dr. Susan Erstling, who heads the Family Service of RI child trauma center; Congressman David Cicilline; Dr. Janice DeFrances, director of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families; and Francis Paranzino, vice president/chief operating officer of Newport County Community Mental Health Center, a partnering agency with Family Service of RI.

Congressman David Cicilline and Family Service of Rhode Island CEO Margaret Holland McDuff today announced that the non-profit has been awarded a $1.6 million federal grant to reduce the impact of trauma on the state’s children, with military families being a priority.

The announcement took place in a therapy office at the agency’s Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island, location. On the walls were messages from children receiving treatment for sexual abuse and other issues. 

(more)