VCU news

By Jessica Carey
Department of Surgery

On the night Nakisha Spellman was beaten, strangled, stabbed, dragged through her home and thrown down the stairs into her front yard by her partner, the 24-year-old Richmond resident hobbled to her neighbor’s house for refuge. The next morning, in such severe pain that she was unable to stand, she got a ride to VCU Medical Center.

Emergency medicine physicians treated Spellman’s physical wounds, but like other victims of sexual and domestic violence, she had deeper wounds that needed care. That’s where Project Empower stepped in. Staff from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program met Spellman in the emergency room where she was treated that day in November 2017.

Project Empower is an advocacy program under VCU’s IVPP that provides counseling, case management, court advocacy, and a variety of other services to victims of intimate partner violence. Approximately 1.5 million women are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year, according to the National Coalition against Domestic Violence. More than 324,000 of those women were pregnant at the time of the assault. Murder is the second-most common cause of injury-related death for pregnant females.

Since Jan. 1, 2017, Project Empower staff have worked with more than 200 patients. For other medical centers without such programs, the care stops where the medical intervention ends, which is why programs like Project Empower are important. The VCU program is the only one of its kind in Virginia.

“Project Empower allows us to come into contact with victims in a unique way, allowing us to be there for people at their most critical moments,” said Project Empower coordinator Maria Altonen. 

The day after Spellman’s attack, Altonen and Project Empower intern Dionne Greenhill evaluated the situation, provided Spellman with the support she needed and helped plan the next steps to ensure her safety. However, when it became known that Spellman’s assailant had been released from jail, the plan changed. Project Empower staff devised a new plan to get Spellman, escorted by VCU Police, to a protective shelter where she and her children — a two-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy — stayed for the next few weeks.

There, Starshema (Star) Myles, another Project Empower advocate and the survivor of an attempted murder, purchased food, clothing, gift cards and a journal for Spellman to help with her emotional healing. Myles attended court proceedings with Spellman, who was 15 weeks pregnant at the time of the attack, and helped her find a source of continued prenatal care. When her time at the shelter came to an end, Project Empower assisted Spellman with finding a safe place to live. She also was able to find employment.

Funding that helps ensure shelter, food and clothing for victims in crisis is limited. Project Empower receives funding through the Victims of Crime Act, but the program relies heavily on donations such as those received during the annual Shining Knight Gala.

They provided the shelter, protection, and emotional and mental support I needed to rebuild myself.

“I am truly grateful for everyone at Project Empower,” Spellman said. “I wouldn’t have gotten through this without them. They provided the shelter, protection, and emotional and mental support I needed to rebuild myself.”

Spellman continues to meet regularly with the Project Empower team, who all excitedly await the arrival of her little girl. “We will remain in contact and continue our advocacy, in court and out, until [Spellman] feels comfortable and safe again,” Altonen said.

For those facing sexual or domestic violence, the Project Empower team has some advice.

“Even though we each have a different story, our abusers have the same traits and follow the same processes,” Myles said. “Being a survivor has helped me in my role with Project Empower.”

Her message to people who are going through — or have been through — domestic violence is that they are not alone.

“If you are experiencing any form of abuse, please don’t be afraid to reach out,” Myles said. “Years ago I had no idea of all the resources that are available. We want to help. Project Empower is here to help.”

For more information about Project Empower, contact Maria Altonen at (804) 628-4603. To donate to the program, contact IVPP assistant director Amy Vincent at amy.vincent@vcuhealth.org. The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Actions Alliance hotline can be reached 24 hours a day at 1-800-838-8238. Chat and text options are available as well.