Third Phase of National Health Initiative Kicks Off to Support Survivors of Abuse
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendi Aarons, Futures Without Violence
National Health Initiative Kicks-off to Support Survivors of Abuse
Three leadership teams across the nation receive funding, training, and support to address intimate partner violence and human trafficking across their states
SAN FRANCISCO (January 16, 2020)— Today and tomorrow Futures Without Violence (FUTURES) is convening leaders from three newly funded states to kick off “Project Catalyst Phase III: Statewide Transformation on Health, Intimate Partner Violence, and Human Trafficking.” This marks the third phase of a project focused on fostering intimate partner violence (IPV), human trafficking (HT), and health leadership and collaboration at the U.S. state level to improve the health and safety outcomes for survivors of IPV and human trafficking and to promote prevention. Three leadership teams from Georgia, Minnesota, and Ohio—consisting of leaders from each state’s Primary Care Association, Department of Health/Public Health, and Domestic Violence Coalition—were awarded grants to:
• promote state-level policy and systems changes that support an integrated and improved response to IPV and human trafficking in community health centers and to other needed services in domestic violence programs.
• offer training and technical assistance to five community health centers and five domestic violence programs (in each state) that will partner with one another on trauma-informed practice transformation.
• implement a vision and strategy to promote policies and practices that support ongoing integration of the IPV and human trafficking response into health care delivery statewide, and significant inroads into implementation of an action plan to train and engage at least 50 percent of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers by the end of the project period.
Project Catalyst Phase III Kickoff Meeting in San Francisco, January 16-17, 2020
“Community health centers and domestic violence programs are well poised to support the serious health needs of survivors of IPV and human trafficking,” said Lisa James, director of health at FUTURES. “By working both with state agencies and local health centers and their partnering DV programs, these leadership teams have the potential to make a significant impact on the health of IPV and trafficking survivors.”
Project Catalyst has an ambitious 10-month timeline (December 1, 2019-September 30, 2020) and following the kick-off meeting, a two-day training of trainers will be scheduled in each of the three states.
State Leadership Teams include:
- Georgia: Georgia Department of Public Health, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Georgia Primary Care Association
- Minnesota: Violence Free Minnesota, Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers, and Minnesota Department of Health
- Ohio: Ohio Domestic Violence Network, Ohio Department of Public Health, Ohio Association of Community Health Centers
Project Catalyst states will use comprehensive training curricula, health care provider resources, patient education materials, and quality improvement tools developed by FUTURES. This includes ipvhealthpartners.org, an online toolkit developed by and for community health centers and domestic violence agencies looking to forge or expand partnerships.
Project Catalyst Phase I and Phase II consisted of 8 state/territory leadership teams in total. As a result of the trainings, health providers and advocates reported increased comfort in talking to their patients and clients about the health impact of IPV and human trafficking.
The success of Project Catalyst has helped inform the Health Resources & Services Administration Strategy to Address Intimate Partner Violence, which aims to address IPV at the systems-level across all of its bureaus and offices from 2017-2020.
This project is supported through a collaboration of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) partners, including the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Family and Youth Services Bureau, the HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care, and the HRSA Office of Women’s Health. Technical assistance and training is provided by FUTURES, along with an evaluation conducted by the University of Pittsburgh.
Since 1996, FUTURES has managed the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, supported by the U.S. DHHS’ Administration for Children and Families, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program to provide resources and trainings to health practitioners and advocates across the country in order to promote model health responses to IPV. For more information visit acf.hhs.gov/fvpsa.
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About FUTURES
Futures Without Violence is a national health and social justice nonprofit that develops groundbreaking programs, policies, and campaigns to empower individuals and organizations working to end violence against women and children. Striving to reach new audiences and transform social norms, we train professionals such as doctors, nurses, judges, educators and athletic coaches on improving responses to violence and trauma. We also work with advocates, policymakers, and others to build sustainable community leadership and educate people everywhere about the importance of respect and healthy relationships. For more information, visit www.futureswithoutviolence.org.
