Bringing awareness to teen dating violence
WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners Thursday proclaimed February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. According to the proclamation, one in three teen girls in the United States is a victim of abuse from a dating partner.
“That includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and it happens in Greene County,” said Cheryl McCready, Greene County satellite office coordinator for Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The proclamation urges county residents to work toward ending teen dating violence by empowering young people to develop healthier relationships, assisting victims in accessing the information and supportive services they need, creating better and more resources for young people in need, instituting effective intervention and prevention policies in schools and engaging in discussions with family members and peers to promote awareness and prevention of the quiet epidemic of teen dating violence.
In addition to education and awareness, the DVS office offers a shelter and a 24-hour hotline, and McCready said other outreach efforts include reminding adults to provide examples of healthy relationships to their children.
“I’d like to work myself out of a job,” McCready said. “Teen dating violence is not OK. Love shouldn’t hurt.”
For more information, call the Greene County satellite office at 724-852-2463.
Commissioners also approved certificates of appreciation for two nurses at Southwest Regional Medical Center in Waynesburg.
Cynthia Cox and Stacy Ondrik, both registered nurses working in the emergency department at the hospital, last month responded to a call for help from a suicidal individual and were able to alert authorities and remain on the phone with the individual until help arrived.
The commissioners commended the pair’s lifesaving efforts and compassionate and rapid response. Cox and Ondrik were unable to attend the meeting.
In other business, the commissioner approved a quote through the Central Westmoreland County of Governments Contract for a 2015 Dodge Durango for the county sheriff’s office. The amount of the quote was $40,090.