Nixon, now a board member for The Bridge, says that the nonprofit group's new facility will make the investigative process even more efficient and less uncomfortable for the families. The Bridge opened in 1989 at 1419 S. Polk St., to reduce trauma for children questioned regarding child abuse issues. It provides a child-friendly setting, professional interviewers, videotaping and viewing rooms for people involved in the legal and investigative process. Today, The Bridge has a new facility under construction at the corner of Quail Creek Drive and Plum Creek Drive that will further reduce trauma to families by providing space for two exam rooms, said Roxanne Carter, executive director at The Bridge. Presently, Northwest Texas Hospital's Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners conduct exams for child abuse investigations at the hospital.
Clients enter through the hospital's emergency room.
They received a private room when they took her daughter for the exam, but when they were escorted through hallways by a police officer, people knew something was wrong, Nixon said. With the new facility, Northwest's nurse examiners will conduct exams at The Bridge, where children are interviewed, Carter said. The facility also will have two sound-proofed interview rooms and two family rooms where officials can talk privately with parents. The new facility's board room will be large enough to accommodate participants in weekly multidisciplinary team staffings at The Bridge, Carter said. The staffings can include more than 25 people from Children's Protective Services, district attorney's offices, The Bridge, NWTH and other medical offices.