VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

Domestic violence as a social issue is often pushed to the backburner because of the stigma attached to it, but the VCU Health System is hoping to change that perception by acknowledging domestic violence as a health care issue.

As part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the VCU Health System took part in a nationwide program — the Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day — on Oct. 12. The event, started by the national Family Violence Prevention Fund, aims to educate the community about the burgeoning problem of domestic abuse in the United States as well as its effects on the health care industry.

In recent years, health care providers have become aware of what an intricate part they play in the domestic violence cycle. Not only do health care workers treat the physical injuries caused by abuse, they also are on the frontline of recognizing the signs of abuse and possibly intervening, said Janett Forte, assistant professor of psychiatry and coordinator of the VCU Institute for Women’s Health.

“Over the years there’s been an effort to expand services and research” into domestic abuse, Forte said. That research has led to the realization that “not every victim will go to a shelter or call the police, but they will go to their health care provider.”

The Family Violence Prevention Fund estimates that domestic violence costs the health care industry about $5.8 billion each year — $4.1 billion of which is for medical and mental health care services. What’s more, it estimates that domestic-violence interventions by hospitals could reduce health care costs by at least 20 percent.

In observance of the Health Cares day, the VCU Institute for Women’s Health set up a display at VCU Medical Center’s main hospital that included pamphlets, educational materials and the latest domestic violence screening and prevention tools. Health care professionals were on hand to answer questions. The goal was to educate fellow health care workers, but many hospital visitors — including some domestic-abuse victims — were attracted as well.

“One victim was going to court the next day,” Forte said. “We put her in touch with an area worker so she’d have an advocate to go to court with her.”

In addition to the displays, a presentation was held in the learning center of the main hospital that featured remarks by John Duval, CEO of MCV Hospitals; Maria Curran, director of human resources for the VCU Health System; Cathy Pond, executive director of the Richmond YWCA; and Diane Abato, deputy commonwealth's attorney for the city of Richmond.

VCU’s partners in sponsoring the local event were the YWCA of Richmond; the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance; the Virginia Department of Health, the Center for Violence & Injury Prevention, Richmond Enhancing Access to Community HealthCare, Jewish Women International and Safe Harbor.

For more information on domestic violence awareness visit www.womenshealth.vcu.edu/.