JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – As a child abuse investigator, Jacosha Alexander made a commitment to put the well-being of children first.
And last week, she saved a child’s life.
Attending court is part of Alexander’s routine as a child protective services agent. She began routine last Tuesday, preparing for a court hearing when she heard the 10-month-old child behind her start to cough.
The child had been eating crackers, and she said family members began patting him on the back, but it wasn’t working.
That’s when instinct kicked in for Alexander.
She reached over the banister separating herself from the family, grabbed the child, and began trying to clear his airways.
When that didn’t work, she scooped out the cracker that was stuck in his throat with her fingers, clearing his airways.
“I think that any of us or anybody in that same situation would have done the same thing,” she said. “I feel like my mom-slash-grandma instincts kicked in, and that’s all it was.”
She said the child was in good spirits after the incident.
Alexander began her career with the Department of Children’s Services almost a decade ago. Her path began with work in group homes.
Working with foster children triggered a passion within her to help as many children as she could.
She said she saw dozens of children stuck in group home facilities waiting on action from their caseworkers who had to travel long distances for visits.
“That just broke my heart. I just decided, you know, I could do better than that,” she said.
“I don’t care if I have to drive to Memphis, I’m going to see these kids so they can go home.”
That spurred her decision to work her way into child abuse investigation. Now, she said she does her best to keep children out of the foster care system and provide family members with resources.
“I love working with the kids, I love working with the families,” Alexander said. “I like to think that I make a difference every day.”
