Goal
To develop and support integrated services delivery and
collaborative programs for victims of domestic violence
and members of their families; with a particular emphasis
on reaching members of cultural and linguistic minority
communities.
Assumptions
A. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to
women between the ages of 15-44. Victims incur not only
acute injuries, but suffer a longer term impact on their
health and well being.
B. To provide appropriate care to victims of domestic
violence, health care providers must be able to identify,
assess, and intervene in culturally appropriate ways that
directly address the problem of domestic violence and its
health consequences, both immediate
and long term.
C. Clients in need of domestic violence services are
typically managing a host of complex and interrelated
issues, yet available services are often fragmented.
Collaborative models that ensure an interdisciplinary,
comprehensive continuum of care and support for health and
social services are more effective in supporting clients
to heal.
D. Community health centers are an ideal setting for
relatively low cost, early identification and intervention
with families at risk for domestic violence because they
provide a variety of services using a multi-dimensional
approach that recognizes the intersection of social issues
and health outcomes.
Accomplishments
* The CCHERS Community Advocacy Program (CAP) funds Family
Advocates at six of its associated community health
centers, providing a range of services, including: crisis
intervention; safety assessment and planning; advocacy;
assistance with housing and shelter, legal services, and
social services; education; and support groups for women,
teens, and child witnesses to violence.
* CAP has provided numerous workshops and forums, and
organized several conferences to provide training and
education of health care providers and health center staff
on issues of domestic violence.
* CAP was a co-founder and remains an active partner in a
CDC sponsored "Coordinated Health Center Community
Response to Intimate Partner Violence," which focuses on
enhancing linkages among providers of domestic violence
services in Dorchester.
* CAP has established close linkages with other Boston
based domestic violence programs to provide CAP and health
center staff with consultation, training, and technical
assistance.
* CAP has established policy‑oriented linkages with state, regional, and
national entities focused on domestic violence issues.
*
CAP is
currently developing a training and resource curriculum
for medical interpreters on working with victims of
domestic violence and sexual assault for enhancing
communication and effective working relationships between
medical interpreters and health care providers and staff.
*
In
collaboration with the Asian Task Force Against
Domestic Violence, CAP conducted group interviews with
Vietnamese women regarding domestic violence. The findings
of these interviews are being used to enhance programmatic
directions for culturally appropriate domestic violence
intervention services in partnership with the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Policy
Objectives
Develop and support community health center based
models for collaborative and integrative service
delivery for victims of domestic violence.
* Creating more public and private funding opportunities
at the local, state, and national levels.
* Conducting a state wide needs assessment of domestic
violence services in community health centers.
* Presenting discussions of the CCHERS domestic violence
partnership model at local, state, and national
conferences.
Provide tools and technical assistance to support the
capacity of community health centers to conduct needs
assessments, quality assurance efforts, and evaluation to
ensure the appropriate direction and quality of services
provided to domestic violence victims and their families.
* Developing curricula and offering training and technical
assistance to community health centers and domestic
violence programs on research and evaluation
methodologies.
Inform the development of standards and protocols for
health care based domestic violence intervention services.
* Working collaboratively with state agencies and
initiatives (e.g., Massachusetts Department of Public
Health and the Governor's Commission on Domestic Violence
Health Care Working Group) to assess current approaches,
establish minimum standards, and highlight successful
domestic violence prevention, intervention, and training
models.
Support the development of strategies and initiatives
for collaborative models of domestic violence prevention,
education, and intervention programs.
* Providing on site specialized clinical and programmatic
expertise in domestic violence and domestic violence
capacity building, i.e., protocol development and
intervention implementation.
* Developing educational strategies for providers and
advocates regarding appropriate screening/ intervention
approaches for special needs victims, i.e. immigrants and
refugees, substance abusing women, child witnesses to
domestic violence, and teens.