October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is a time to connect and unite individuals and organizations against domestic violence and to raise awareness of actions we can take to protect individuals from domestic violence. According to the CDC, about 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported some form of intimate partner violence-related impact. Community health centers can play an important role in addressing and preventing domestic violence. By partnering with local domestic violence programs, community health centers can improve the health, wellness, and safety of their patients. Community health centers can check out IPV Health Partners, a project funded by HRSA and ACF in collaboration with Futures Without Violence, to learn more about building partnerships with domestic violence programs to address the health needs of patients and connect them to health centers for care.
Please check below for more resources and information on domestic violence and raising awareness in your health center.
Informational materials and printouts for your health center to share:
- National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH): The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Click here to download informational materials.
- Stronghearts Native Helpline: StrongHearts is a culturally-appropriate, anonymous, confidential service dedicated to serving Native American survivors of domestic violence and concerned family members and friends. Click here to download informational materials.
Social media toolkits to raise domestic violence awareness:
- National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV): NNEDV is a social change organization dedicated to creating a social, political, and economic environment in which violence against women no longer exists. NNEDV’s campaign theme for DVAM 2021 is #Every1KnowsSome1, because with 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experiencing domestic violence, it is likely that everyone knows someone who has been impacted by domestic violence. Click here for their DVAM toolkit.
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV): NCADV leads, mobilizes and raises voices to support efforts that demand a change of conditions that lead to domestic violence. Click here for their DVAM toolkit.
To find help:
- New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Program Directory: NYS directory of domestic violence programs in NYS. Click here to find your local domestic violence program.
- NYS Domestic Violence Hotline: 24/7 hotline for NYS. Call 1-800-942-6906, text 844-997-2121, or chat live online by clicking here.
- NYC Domestic Violence Hotline: 24/7 hotline specific to NYC. Call 1-800-621-HOPE.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: National Domestic Violence Hotline is a 24/7 hotline that provides highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Call at 1- 800-799-SAFE, text START to 88788, or chat live online by clicking here.
- Stronghearts Native Helpline: A safe, anonymous, and confidential domestic violence and dating violence helpline for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, offering culturally-appropriate support and advocacy. Call or text 1-844-7NATIVE, or chat online with an advocate available 24/7 by clicking here.
To learn more about domestic violence:
- National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV): NRCDV works to strengthen the capacity of programs responding to domestic violence victims and their families by promoting effective public policy, institutional response and research, and engagement in prevention. Check out their resources, research, and projects by clicking here.
- HRSA: Webinar on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Black Women in New York State: A Historical Overview and Consideration.