The report says the national child abuse rate was 8.4 per 1,000 children that year. 

The rate in Kentucky was twice that at 16.7. 

Norton Children’s Hospital and community members started the month planting awareness for the issue that hides in plain sight. 

April is always a special month for Sharon Rengers.

“The whole country has got blue pinwheels on it starting today,” Rengers said.

The registered nurse plants these pinwheels with a passionate purpose every April 1.  

“I would hope it makes some kind of impact and at least makes people stop and think about it,” Rengers said. 

The pinwheel is the national symbol for child abuse prevention. 

“I hope they think about the children, and I hope they also think about the resources that might be available to them, something that might make an impact to lower the number of cases that we see throughout the city, state, the whole country,” Rengers said. 

It’s a problem across the country, but Kentucky’s rate of child abuse sits at the top of the national chart. 

“About 1 out of every 60 kids here in Kentucky is a victim of some form of maltreatment and the national average is about half of that about 120,” said Norton Children’s Hospital pediatrician Nick Miles. 

Miles specializes in child abuse and child maltreatment.

He says child abuse can be hard to spot and doctors don’t always recognize the victims. 

“They’re recognized by grandparents, by parents, by aunts, uncles, neighbors, teachers, daycare providers, those are the ones that need to have their eyes open and paying attention to help get these kids to help that they need,” Miles said.

The pediatric protection specialist fellow says child abuse can affect the mental health of victims and how they form relationships. 

He says it is associated with other issues like heart conditions and obesity. 

“Child abuse is unique in that it’s a problem that is 100% preventable. There’s no reason that it should exist at all and for us to have the highest rates in the country is a problem and one that we should be trying to fix,” Miles said.

Rengers hopes everyone steps up to help keep kids safe.

“It hasn’t gone away is probably the hardest part. Just keep seeing the same kind of issues, just different families,” Rengers said.

Each planted pinwheel is a promise to continue prevention efforts.

If you are a witness or victim of child abuse, you can call the National Child Abuse Hotline for crisis counseling, social service and support resources. 

The hotline number is (800) 4-A-CHILD (422-4453).