Model Programs on Health Care and Domestic Violence

Taken from www.endabuse.org . Please visit website for the most up to date information on this topic.

•  Domestic Violence is a Health Care Issue

•  National Health Initiative on Domestic Violence

•  Ten-State Program

•  National Health Care Standards Campaign

•  National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence

•  California Clinic Collaborative on Domestic Violence

•  Brake the Cycle Bike Ride

•  Indian Health Service (IHS)-Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Domestic Violence Pilot Project

•  Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day

Domestic Violence is a Health Care Issue
Family violence has consequences for every aspect of American life, including the justice, education and workplace arenas. In particular, it has an immense impact on the health care system. Homicide and injury, mental illness, substance abuse and repetition of violence across generations indicate the range of health problems caused or related to domestic violence. Because most women visit a health care provider for routine or emergency care, health care providers are often in the best position to help victims escape abuse. As the single most important, and most accessed institution in the lives of women the health care setting can provide a unique opportunity to intervene, making it one of the newest and most critical areas of the domestic violence movement today. For more information view the Fact Sheet on Domestic Violence and Health Care .

National Health Initiative on Domestic Violence
For more than a decade, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has supported the Family Violence Prevention Fund's (FVPF) groundbreaking and highly successful National Health Initiative on Domestic Violence which has been improving the health care response to domestic violence nationwide. In 1995, the FVPF pilot-tested a training program in twelve hospitals in California and Pennsylvania . Projects of this initiative include the development of a highly popular resource manual, Improving the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence , called the "bible of the field" by the past president of the American Medical Association, Robert McAfee; a companion trainer's manual; effective public education materials for providers and patients; and a model health care training program designed to help health care systems create sustainable programs to help victims of domestic violence.

Ten-State Program
To ensure that the resources produced during the first phase of this Initiative were widely disseminated and had a lasting impact, the Hilton Foundation awarded the FVPF a second grant to launch the National Health Initiative's: Ten-State Program in 1995. Through this project, the FVPF worked closely with leadership teams from ten states: Alabama , Alaska , California , Florida , Iowa , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Mexico , Texas and West Virginia to institute and replicate model health care programs to respond to domestic violence. As a result of this project over 10,000 health care providers representing hundreds of health care systems nationwide have developed sustainable programs to respond to domestic violence. Participating states continue to plan efforts that will train thousands more providers. This project ended mid-year of 2000 and was the foundation for the National Health Care Standards Campaign.

National Health Care Standards Campaign

The most recent stage of the National Health Initiative funded by the Hilton Foundation was the National Health Care Standards Campaign. Participating states and districts included: Alabama , California , Florida , Illinois , Iowa , Massachusetts , Missouri , Nebraska , Nevada , New Hampshire , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Washington , DC , West Virginia , and Wisconsin . The goals of this program were to craft new policies and continuous funding sources for clinical responses to domestic violence; develop a set of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary clinical guidelines on domestic violence; confront society's acceptance of domestic violence and raise awareness by generating small and large scale public health campaigns, and pilot a business case for domestic violence that defends the need for screening and intervention from an ethical and financial perspective which can be used to engage managed care companies, health policy makers, and administrators. A 44 page booklet: National Health Care Standards Campaign on Family Violence: Model Practices from 15 States summarizes the experiences and outcomes from this project. To receive this booklet and for more information on this project, e-mail lisa@endabuse.org

National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Other hallmarks of the National Health Initiative include the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence (HRC). The HRC acts as the nation's clearinghouse for information on the health care response to domestic violence and provides free technical assistance and materials to thousands of health care providers each year through it's toll-free line: 888-Rx-ABUSE and by e-mail: health@endabuse.org . The HRC is one of five specialized resource centers in the country funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

California Clinic Collaborative on Domestic Violence
In 1998, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, with support from The California Endowment, embarked on a two year initiative to help 20 community health clinics in California improve their response to domestic violence. This comprehensive project included implementation of prevention efforts to educate the clinic population about domestic violence and secondary prevention programs, including screening and intervention for patients. The project also aimed to build a cohesive network of health advocates to promote the importance of domestic violence prevention strategies within health care settings among policy makers.

Phase II of this project began in July 2000 and ends June 2002. The goals in this next phase are to:

· expand the capacity of new clinics in six key regions throughout California ;

· broaden and deepen the clinical practice, public education and outreach efforts of 12 of the original participating clinics;

· build the training capacity and leadership within the 12 clinics;

· promote public health education and prevention efforts at a local level and promote these strategies and materials to raise the visibility of domestic violence as a public health issue in California; and

· develop statewide policy and advocacy efforts, which will expand this work, improve the safety of victims of domestic violence and create public private partnerships.

The current 12 participating clinics include:

•  Asian Health Services
Oakland , CA 94607

•  Escondido Community Health Center
Escondido , CA 92025

•  La Clinica de la Raza
Oakland , CA 94601

•  Golden Valley Health Centers
Merced , CA 95340

•  Humboldt Open Door Community H.C.
Arcata , CA 95521

•  Los Angeles Free Clinic
Hollywood , CA 90028-5459

•  Maxine Hall Health Center
San Francisco , CA 94115

•  Planned Parenthood, Fairfield
Fairfield , CA 94533

•  Sequoia Community Health
Fresno , CA 93706

•  Shasta Community Health Center
Redding , CA 96099-2790

•  Hill Country Clinic
Round Mountain , CA 94084

•  Venice Family Clinic
Venice , CA 90291

For more information about this program, contact fran@endabuse.org .

Brake the Cycle
Brake the Cycle is sponsored by the California Clinic Collaborative on Domestic Violence, and has been held the past three years, most recently in September, 2002. The California Clinic Collaborative's 3rd Annual Brake the Cycle of Violence Bike Tour, coordinated by Towanda Tours, a local woman-owned bike tour company, was again a successful fundraising activity for clinics' domestic violence programs. The bike tour was held September 13-15th in Costanoa, a nature retreat located an hour south of San Francisco . Riders covered up to 100 miles.

Of the CCC clinics, Venice Family Clinic and Asian Health Services participated bringing with them lots of enthusiasm, many of them participating for their second or third time. The tour raised over $10,000 for the clinics' domestic violence programs. All proceeds raised from the bike tour go to the domestic violence programs of the participating clinics.

For more information on this project, or to make a pledge e-mail fran@endabuse.org .

Indian Health Service (IHS)-Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Domestic Violence Demonstration Project
The National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence has partnered with Indian Health Service ; Administration for Children and Families ; Sacred Circle, the National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women; and Mending the Sacred Hoop: STOP Violence Against Women Technical Assistance Project to strengthen comprehensive domestic violence prevention strategies in fifteen American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) health care facilities throughout the United States. Seven of these fifteen sites are newly funded, whereas eight were refunded to continue their efforts after completing seventeen months of Phase I. Our goal for the "new sites" is to develop and increase the role of health care providers, as well as health care facilities, in their recognition and response to domestic violence. The "continuing sites" will further work on their institutional reform, while a select few will conduct outlying trainings to other I/T/U facilities and provide technical assistance to the newly selected sites. This is a seventeen month project: October 1, 2004- March 1, 2006.

Through collaboration with one another and with experts in community-based health care delivery and domestic violence, the sites will develop culturally appropriate prevention strategies and resources for health care providers and victims. The sites also will increase awareness of domestic violence as a public health issue, promoting public education and outreach within Native communities. The sites will further serve as models to other AI/AN clinics and hospitals across the country. The materials created by the sites will be distributed to other I/T/U facilities. Resources and protocol developed by the Project will be available to other facilities, and Project members can provide training or technical support to health care providers at other clinics.

Participating Sites

The seven newly funded sites are:

• Cherokee Indian Hospital (Cherokee, NC)
• Chinle Comprehensive Healthcare Facility ( Chinle , AZ )
• Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital ( Crow Agency , MT )
• Kaw Nation-Kanza Health Clinic ( Kaw City , OK )
• The N.A.T.I.V.E. Project Inc. ( Spokane , WA )
• United American Indian Involvement, Inc. ( Los Angeles , CA )
• Utah Navajo Health System ( Montezuma Creek , UT )

All eight "continuing sites" will continue to work on their institutional reform, while four will begin to do outlying trainings to other I/T/U facilities in their areas (those marked with a *). These eight sites are:

• Feather River Tribal Health, Inc. ( Oroville , CA )
• Rosebud IHS Hospital (Rosebud, SD)
• Zuni Comprehensive Community Health Service (Zuni, NM)
• Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians- Choctaw Health Center (Choctaw, MS)
• *Ketchikan Indian Corporation Tribal Health Clinic ( Ketchikan , Alaska )
• * Warm Springs Health & Wellness Center ( Warm Springs , OR )
• *Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians ( Houlton , ME )
• *Crownpoint Healthcare Facility/Family Harmony Project ( Crownpoint , NM )

For more information on this project, contact Anna Marjavi (Project Coordinator, Family Violence Prevention Fund) 415-252-8900 or anna@endabuse.org
anna@endabuse.org

Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day
Health Cares about Domestic Violence Day (HCADV Day) is a nationally recognized awareness-raising day that takes place annually on the second Wednesday of October. Founded in 1999, HCADV Day aims to reach members of the healthcare and domestic violence communities and educate them about the critical importance of routine screening for domestic violence, as well as the long term health implications of domestic violence and lifetime exposure to violence. An organizing packet is developed annually by the FVPF to help participants organize local and state-wide events. Get more information and get involved .