Initiative Prompts Physicians To Ask: Are You Experiencing Domestic Violence?
The overall objective of the campaign in Orange County is to strengthen the health care sector’s response to domestic violence as a public health crisis.
The Orange County Register:
O.C. Program Urges Expanded Approach To Identifying Domestic Violence
Health care providers routinely ask patients about blood pressure, diet, exercise and other information vital to maintaining good health. An initiative launched in May in Orange County intends to add a new routine query to women’s medical visits: Are you experiencing domestic violence? The Domestic Violence and Health Collective – Orange County will enlist physicians, nurses and other medical personnel, along with the general public, in thinking about domestic violence as a public health crisis. A public awareness campaign will roll out over the next two years and include free trainings for health care providers on how to discuss domestic violence with patients, advertising aboard buses and at bus shelters, and a centralized clearinghouse of resources and information. (Walker, 5/31)