Mosaic Georgia opens new Gwinnett facility to help more child sex crime victims
Mosaic Georgia celebrated the grand opening of its new 16,000-square-foot facility Tuesday, marking the first time in nearly 40 years that all services for sexual violence survivors are housed under one roof.
Channel 2's Matt Johnson said the nonprofit serves more than 3,000 survivors annually in Gwinnett County, from children as young as infants.
Executive Director Marina Peed called the milestone deeply meaningful.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
'This day is really a joyful day for me personally,' Peed said, 'to see us take the next step in providing quality services for people that have been harmed by rape and sexual abuse.'
When a child is sexually abused in Gwinnett County, Mosaic Georgia gets the first call from law enforcement. They provide everything from medical forensic exams to counseling and legal services.
Until now, survivors had to scurry between two separate facilities for different services.
'When you have a safe place where you can go confidentially, work through all of that, it helps you have a better tomorrow,' she said.
That's why the consolidated location matters so much to organizers. Peed stressed that their work goes beyond just the victim.
'We provide support for the whole family because everyone is impacted by sexual violence,' she said.
The numbers reveal staggering need. Last year alone, Mosaic Georgia handled more than 85,800 services, including 1,176 crisis calls and 554 child forensic interviews.
The new facility doubles their capacity with four forensic interview rooms and four medical exam rooms, helping 40% more survivors.
Northside Hospital System helped secure the seven-year lease at the Gwinnett building. The $1.5 million project still needs $450,000 from community fundraising.
Most clients are children and teens, with services offered in more than 12 languages.
'The shame shouldn't be borne by the person who experienced the harm,' Peed said.
TRENDING STORIES:
Raids uncover largest fentanyl pill operation in state history in Atlanta, Douglasville
'Black Mecca' no longer? Atlanta prices cause families to move out of the city
1 dead after crash on I-75 NB in Cobb County
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Clayton Co. Police looking for man who walked away from hospital in ‘delusional state'
Clayton County police are looking for a missing disabled man who walked away from a hospital. On Wednesday, police responded to Southern Regional Hospital in Riverdale to reports of a missing person. Hospital staff told police that Eric Pitts, 19, left the hospital without permission after being dropped off by Clayton State University police for a mental health issue. Hospital staff said his mental diagnosis was unclear, but he was in a delusional state. Pitts was last seen walking away from the hospital wearing green hospital scrubs with no shoes. He is five feet, six inches tall, weighs approximately 149 lbs., and has short black hair. If you see him, police urge you to call them at 770-477-3747. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Manhunt underway for GA man accused of ramming truck into patrol vehicle, leaving deputy injured PHOTOS: These people vanished in Georgia. Now, the GBI is searching for them 'Senseless': Brothers, ages 13 and 14, accused of Clayton party shooting, posting it to social media [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kettering Health Cyberattack: Concerns raised about alerting those impacted by sensitive data breach
Kettering Health is still working to determine what data hackers got when they invaded their systems three weeks ago. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7's John Bedell asked Kettering Health spokespersons about how they intend to contact those impacted. We'll have their response LIVE on News Center 7 at 5:00. TRENDING STORIES: City says arbitrator ignored 'simply obvious dangers' by reinstating fired police sergeant Eligible families to receive $120 per child in food aid as schools close for summer 'Whip/Nae Nae' rapper sentenced for murder of cousin Adjunct professor Adam Dyer works for Cedarville University's cybersecurity department. He works in IT and has been in the field for 20 years. 'They have a long road ahead of them to determine if it can even find out what individual records were accessed,' Dyer said. This story will be updated. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Woman unable to walk, sues hospital after surgeon operated on the wrong knee
A woman is suing her surgeon and the hospital that left her unable to walk or play with her children after they operated on the wrong leg. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Talia Foster, 33, of Toledo, is suing the University of Toledo Medical Center (UTMC) and the orthopedic surgeon that operated on the wrong knee in 2023, according to our CBS-affiliate WTOL in Toledo. Instead of operating on her injured left knee for what was supposed to be a routine ACL repair, Dr. David Sohn removed a healthy tendon from her right leg. TRENDING STORIES: Argument leads to deadly shooting in Fairborn, police say Former school staffer who pleaded guilty to sexual relationship with student sentenced to prison 6-year-old hit, killed by car in Harrison Township 'He never marked the right leg. It was just never discussed,' Foster said. Her surgeon confirmed the error in Foster's medical records: 'After harvesting the first of two hamstring tendons, I was notified that we had started operating on the incorrect knee. We stopped surgery and contacted patient's family (mother). I explained our error and asked whether she wished for me to proceed. She said yes.' Her mother, Barbara Foster, said she remembers the phone call with Dr. Sohn during the surgery. 'I'm still in shock like, 'Wait a minute.' He said, 'Well, since we already have this tendon out, should I go ahead and do the left knee?' He said, 'I don't want to waste the tendon,'' her mother said to WTOL. Our CBS affiliate, WTOL, cited the National Institutes of Health policy on wrong-site surgeries, stating they are rare but preventable through communication and compliance with surgical protocols. The Joint Commission has recommended a 'Universal Protocol,' since 2003 that requires site marking while the patient is awake and a two-minute 'time out' before surgery to confirm the procedure, site, and patient identity, as reported by WTOL. Foster's left knee, the one she was supposed to get surgery on initially, was visibly marked with the surgeon's initials. Foster said the hospital itself didn't realize the mistake initially, and it remains unclear how her right knee became the surgical target, according to WTOL. Foster said her doctors have told her the ACL surgery on her left knee was a failure, and she now suffers nerve pain in her right leg. She has sought treatment with new doctors to manage her ongoing pain, but it's just a temporary solution to try to ease 'the constant burning and pain,' she said to WTOL. Foster said she can no longer work after a decade of service as an employee at Stellantis. She's on disability and said she is unable to care for or play with her two-year-old and eight-year-old children. 'She said she'd rather cut her legs off. What good is having something when you don't have any stability in them? You're falling downstairs, you can't carry your kid. Who wants to live like that?' Foster's mother said. According to her doctors, Foster will need a full knee replacement on her left leg, and her right leg may never fully recover. 'Just being able to run with my kids, that's my best hope. Being able to have the stability I had before this. But it's hard to have that type of hope,' Foster said. Neither UTMC nor Dr. Sohn has commented, citing the pending litigation, according to WTOL. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
