Medical Advocacy Project

Due to the epidemic proportions of domestic violence and its associated costs to our healthcare system, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) are requiring healthcare professionals to screen and assess patients for abuse.  The Women’s Center of Montgomery County can assist you by providing free and comprehensive training to healthcare professionals in Montgomery County to screen, document, assess and support their patient population.

Screening:  Non-threatening language to use when screening your patient population.

 Documentation:  When abuse is assumed or confirmed, methods are available to chart your findings.

 Assessment:  If abuse is suspected, immediate safety must be considered and options assessed by the victim.

 Support:  Options counseling is a way to support abused patients to help themselves.  The Women’s Center will be your referral source to assist victims with legal, housing, financial and counseling options.

 Self-empowerment is the key to survival for most victims of domestic violence.  By offering non-judgmental support and potential options, you can provide a key ingredient – hope!

FACTS ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON MEDICAL ECONOMICS

Domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, mental or physical ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or religion.

 The medical cost of domestic violence is $3-5 billion annually.

 In 1995, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine survey of nearly 2,000 anonymous female patients found that one in three women had experienced domestic violence either as an adult or child.

 One in four women are abused during pregnancy.

 Domestic violence accounts for 100,000 hospitalization days, 30,000 emergency room visits, and 40,000 medical office visits annually.

Battered women have a high incidence of: