News – Remembering Dr. Harry Orme

Dr. Harry Orme passed away recently at the age of 95. Many knew him as the first pediatric cardiologist in Long Beach and as an inspiring leader who helped create Miller Women’s and Children’s Hospital Long Beach. For The Child honors Dr. Orme today for his visionary impact on child abuse intervention in our community, in addition to his other accomplishments. Dr. Orme promoted a family-centered approach to pediatric care that recognized that children’s medical needs exist in the context of family, both its relationship supports and sadly, at times, harms. In the 1960’s and 70’s, Dr. Orme was an early advocate for screening children for signs of abuse and neglect when they came to hospital emergency rooms with injuries. In 1975 he founded the first child abuse council in the State of California, only the second in our nation, at Memorial Hospital Long Beach. The Long Beach Area Child Trauma Council brought together doctors, nurses, social workers, and other professionals to increase awareness and collaboration to improve child abuse identification and intervention. Carrying on Dr. Orme’s vision, this council is still active in our community after more than 40 years, merging with the Long Beach Domestic Violence Council in 1996 to form EndAbuse Long Beach, http://www. endabuselb.org.

Michele Winterstein, PhD.
Executive Director
For The Child
Past Chair (1990) Long Beach Area Child Trauma Council