About the Coalition
Founded in 1998,the mission of the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence is to provide leadership within health care in promoting a proactive and effective response to intimate partner violence through screening, identification, education, intervention and treatment of domestic violence victims. Members include advocates, social workers, nurses and others from healthcare-based domestic violence programs, and ally organizations. Ongoing initiatives include partnering with MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, through its affiliate, the Center for a Healthy Maryland, and the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence to educate professionals in meeting the clinical challenges of domestic violence.
Government, private grants and the time and energy of its members, have enabled the Coalition to develop and distribute a series of educational brochures for health care professionals, as well as English and Spanish brochures for both adults and teens victims, about the health consequences of domestic violence. In 2001, a model for Maryland’s Healthcare community, “Domestic Violence Policy Guidelines” was endorsed by the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
In 2010, The Coalition developed “Healthcare Response to Domestic Violence: An Advocacy-Based Manual for Hospitals, Facilities & Providers,” which has been used to launch new healthcare-based programs. The Coalition’s Board of Directors meets monthly and disseminates its message through:
- Collaborating and networking with other professionals with similar missions.
- Seminars and conferences aimed at educating health care professionals about timely issues surrounding domestic violence, including issues of medical confidentiality and mandatory reporting.
If you or your health care organization would like to learn more about the Coalition or receive training on the “Health Care Response to Domestic Violence” at no charge, contact: dvcoalition@medchi.org.
“Health Care Response to Domestic Violence” includes:
- Definition & Dynamics of intimate partner abuse
- Prevalence & Health Consequences
- Screening & Intervention
- Local resources
Additional topics include: Introduction & Table of Contents
- Intimate Partner Violence during Pregnancy
- Traumatic Brain Injury & Intimate Partner Violence
- Non-Fatal Strangulation & Intimate Partner Violence
If your agency would like to create a formal response to intimate partner abuse, the Coalition may be able to:
- Provide guidance in assessing current response
- Meet with key staff members
- Use of manual
- Assistance with updating policies & procedures
- Trainings for staff
Seminars
- Thursday, April 6, 2017 – Health Care and Human Trafficking: What You Need to Know
- Thursday, December 1, 2016 – Domestic Violence: How Home Health Workers Can Respond
- Thursday, September 15, 2016 – The Impact of Domestic Violence on Parents
- Friday, May 20, 2016 – The Co-Occurrence of Substance Use, Domestic Violence, and Trauma in Health Care Settings
- Thursday, November 5, 2015 – Intimate Partner Violence and Stages of Change
- Thursday, September 3, 2015 – 2015 IPV and Technology1
- Thursday, May 7, 2015 – HT Training Presentation.
- Thursday, September 25, 2014 – Older adults and DV
Newsletters
- 2017 Autumn DV Newsletter
- 2017 Winter DV Newsletter
- 2014 Spring DV Newsletter
- 2012 Spring DV Newsletter
Resources
- Are you being stalked or watched? Technology can make it easier to stalk someone.
- Domestic Violence Screening Time (PDF)
- Domestic Violence Policy Guidelines (PDF)
- Delphi Instrument for Hospital-Based Domestic Violence Programs
- The Health Care Response to Domestic Violence: Information for Health Care Providers
- Maryland Hospital-based Program List
Printed Materials to Order or Download
Please make note, due to funding constraints we may not be able to fill all and or large orders. The is Coalition is in the process of updating some of its brochures. Feel free to print copies fro this site.
- Domestic Violence- Your Patients: Their Health and Safety
- A Guide for Health Care Professionals- Confidentiality and Reporting Requirements in Maryland
- Domestic Violence- Talk to a Doctor or Nurse
- La Violencia Domestica- Hable a su Medico o Enfermera
- Dating Violence- More Than Bruises and Broken Bones- Love Doesn’t Have to Hurt
- Joven: La Violencia Domestica- Mas Que Moretones y Huesos Rotos
- A Healing Guide for Survivors of Physical, Sexual and Emotional Abuse
- Domestic Violence and Pregnancy- Safe and Healthy Babies… English version, Spanish version
Links
- Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence
- Futures Without Violence
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Intimate Partner Violence
- http://endabuse.orgAmerican Medical Association, “Asking Patients about Intimate Partner Abuse”
- American Nurses Association, OJIN, “Intimate Partner Violence: Implications for Nursing”
Contact Information
For more information on Domestic Violence or to join the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence, please contact:
Audrey Bergin, M.P.H., M.A.
Phone: 410-539-0872 or 800-492-1056, ext. 3316
e-mail: dvcoalition@medchi.org