News Release: September 11, 2007

ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- The Presbyterian Child Abuse Resource and Evaluation (CARE) Clinic will begin to transition its patients to Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center services starting Saturday, September 15 to support the city's efforts in providing this new resource to the community.

The Family Advocacy Center is designed with partnerships between agencies, legal services and law enforcement for more communication and collaboration among providers. It will bring 15 organizations into one location serving victims of domestic and family violence in a collaborative environment and will reduce investigation time for all the agencies, cut travel time for victims, and decreases the number of interviews for victims.

"Our decision to transition our patients and close our services was not an easy one, but we strongly support the focus of the Family Advocacy Center, which will provide a broad range of services specific to the victims' needs with the many partnerships available," says Sharon Humphreys, practice administrator for pediatric subspecialties for Presbyterian. "We don't want to be competitive with the city's Family Advocacy Center; we want to be complementary to it."

Together with the Lovelace Women's Center and the University of New Mexico Hospital, Presbyterian has jointly sponsored an exam room at the Family Advocacy Center and will donate medical equipment. The Family Advocacy Center is under construction on the second floor of 625 Silver SW and is scheduled to open in October.

Patients requiring more information may call the Presbyterian CARE Center at 823-8100 or Toll-free at 1-866-744-3320.

Presbyterian serves to improve the health of individuals, families and communities. Presbyterian Healthcare Services was founded in New Mexico in 1908, and is the state's only private, not-for-profit healthcare system. Presbyterian offers seven hospitals, a statewide health plan, and a growing multi-specialty medical group. Presbyterian employs more than 9,500 people throughout New Mexico.