Learn About Child Death in Kansas
The State Child Death Review Board has developed the following three goals to direct its work:
To describe trends and patterns of child deaths, identifying risk factors in the population;
To improve interagency communication so recommendations can be made regarding recording of actual cause of death, investigation of suspicious deaths, and system responses to child deaths;
To develop prevention strategies including community education and mobilization, professional training, and changes in legislation, public policy and/or agency practices.
State Child Death Review Board Members:
- Chairperson: Christine Ladner, JD – Assistant Attorney General
- Co-Chair: Katherine Melhorn, MD -- University of Kansas School of Medicine
- David Klamm -- SSA, Kansas Bureau of Investigation
- Brian Dempsey, JD -- Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services
- Brenda Nickel, RN, BSN – Kansas Department of Health and Environment
- Sarah Johnston, MD -- Kansas State Board of Education
- Mary McDonald, JD -- Wichita City Prosecutor's Office
- Jaime Oeberst, MD -- Wichita Deputy Coroner
- Erik Mitchell, MD -- Topeka District Coroner
- Kim Parker, JD -- Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office
To ensure a coordinated repsonse that fully addresses all systemic concerns surrounding child fatality cases, the Kansas Legislature gave the SCDRB authority to obtain all records concerning each child. K.S.A. 22a-244(b) provides that the Board shall have access to certain records concerning the child. All records provided to the Board remain confidential.