| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 15, 2024 | The Morgan Rae Center is a Testament to the Power of Partnerships: Community Leaders and Local Agencies Coming Together to Identify, Confront, and Treat Abuse | | New Orleans, LA – On Friday, October 11, 2024, District Attorney Williams, along with the dedicated members of the Office’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) and the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), proudly stood alongside community leaders, advocates, and local partners to inaugurate the Morgan Rae Center with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. This groundbreaking new facility represents a significant advancement in New Orleans’ ongoing commitment to protecting and supporting vulnerable children in our community. The Morgan Rae Center, designed with state-of-the-art technology and compassionate care in mind, will serve as the central home for the Children’s Advocacy Center, a facility uniquely dedicated to addressing the needs of children impacted by abuse and the complex trauma that often follows. | | | Honoring a Legacy of Compassion: Jessica Brandt’s Gift Brings New Center to Life This amazing center would not be possible without the generous $1.5 million gift from Jessica Brandt. The center is named after Mrs. Brandt’s late great-granddaughter, who passed away at birth last year. Lou Fragoso, CEO of Children’s Hospital, shared his initial meeting with Mrs. Brandt, recalling her immediate and wholehearted support. “Before I could finish explaining the vision for this center, she had already said yes,” he noted. Thanks to Mrs. Brandt’s generosity, the children of our region will receive critical care and resources at their toughest moments. | (pictured here: Zach and Paige Hartline with their baby Briggston Morgan Hartline, hospital president and CEO, Lou Fragoso, and Jessica Brandt) | | | | The Morgan Rae Center Expands Critical Support for Vulnerable Children The Morgan Rae Center is a brilliant example of the collaboration of state and city agencies and community partners to support children who need it most. Last year, Children’s Hospital handled approximately 1,400 medical appointments for abuse evaluation and 192 human trafficking referrals. With the Morgan Rae Center now established, New Orleans can expand its reach to offer even greater support to vulnerable children across the region. | | (pictured here: DA Williams & Dr. Stephen Hales) | (pictured here: NOPD Child Abuse Detective Mario Bravo, ADA Penny Kissinger, DA Williams, Chief of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative/ Special Victims Unit (SAKI) (SVU) Mary Glass, and Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit (SVU) Michelle Jones) | | | | (pictured here top row: Deputy Chief of Screening Brigid Collins, DA Williams, Deputy Chief of SVU Michelle Jones, Trial Assistant (SAKI) Katherine Kruebbe, ADA Penny Kissinger) (bottom row: Screening Assistant Daphne Carroll-Dandridge, Victim Witness Advocate Jenna Lipscomb, ADA Ian Kersting, SVU Program Manager Sydney Houlemard, Chief of SAKI/SVU Mary Glass, ADA William Dieters, Investigators Brandon Davis and Ronnie Puigh of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office) | | | Compassionate Justice: Supporting Young Survivors with Coordinated Care and Advocacy It is essential that these little survivors receive emotional, mental, and physical health services as soon as possible. It is also important that the DA’s office is present during this critical window to gather all the necessary evidence to prosecute those who abused them. Rather than forcing survivors to recount and retell these awful memories at a prosecutor’s office, a police station, and a hospital. This center coordinates this process by allowing children to be seen in a single location with more people tending to their needs, to get the help they deserve. We are committed to supporting survivors every step of the way, ensuring that justice is not just served but done so with compassion and care.” – DA Williams | | (pictured here: Victim Witness Advocate Jenna Lipscomb, Director, Specialty Practices of the Children’s Advocacy Center / Morgan Rae Center for Hope Dominique Burns, DA Williams, SVU Program Manager Sydney Houlemard, and Deputy Chief of SVU Michelle Jones) | | | | The Morgan Rae Center will be open for services beginning November 11, 2024. | | | | |