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(HealthNewsDigest.com)-Millions of Americans avoid injury and even premature death when more is done to curb domestic violence.
It’s a problem that occurs in all types of families and relationships regardless of race, sex, religion or economic status. It’s damaging whether it is emotional or physical and has devastating health effects. Drugs, alcohol, money or stressful situations often complicate the issue.
The good news is that a large health plan has begun to tackle the serious issues of domestic violence and to show substantial results from doing so. Kaiser Permanente has created a supportive environment in its medical facilities that includes using health education materials, posters, flyers and other information that encourage people to speak up about domestic violence. Its clinicians are trained to be comfortable raising this issue, providing a caring response, referring patients to on-site domestic violence services and offering information about community resources. In addition to helping patients, the program also addresses domestic violence experienced by employees.
“At Kaiser Permanente, we understand that it’s difficult for patients to bring up the topic of domestic violence, which is why we help our doctors understand how to ask about it and provide a caring response,” said Brigid McCaw, M.D., medical director of the Family Violence Prevention Program, Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “We want to identify the situation before people come in with a broken bone or a black eye and help them get connected to resources that can help.”
The advent of social media has allowed domestic violence to take on new forms, and with the benefit of these new technologies comes the risk of digital abuse, which can include unwanted, repeated calls or text messages, breaking into e-mail or social networking accounts, and being pressured to send private or embarrassing pictures or videos.
Domestic violence is not just a problem for adults. A survey by the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that 40 percent of teenage girls were either victims or knew someone their age who had been abused.
According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 22 percent of women and 7 percent of men have experienced physical domestic violence at some point in their lives.
• Domestic violence causes an estimated 2 million injuries to women, 580,000 to men and 1,500 deaths annually.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control, the physical and mental health costs of domestic violence come to more than $4 billion annually-$5.8 billion when lost productivity is factored in.
• Annual health care costs for women who were abused years ago are 19 percent higher than for other women, even after the abuse has ended.
It is important to know that something can be done to help prevent this tragedy if everyone takes domestic violence seriously. Anyone subjected to it should realize that he or she is not alone. There is support in the community. Take action to keep yourself and your children safe. Find someone to help you with your feelings. Don’t be afraid to take legal action if necessary. Call a friend. Call the police. You can also reach out to a number of organizations:
Where To Get Help
• National Domestic Violence Hotline; (800) 799-SAFE or (800) 799-7233; www.ndvh.org
• Family Violence Prevention Fund: www.endabuse.org
• Kaiser Permanente Northern California Family Violence Prevention Program: www.kp.org/domesticviolence
• Kaiser Permanente Health Encyclopedia: www.kp.org
• National Library of Medicine: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/domesticviolence.html
• National Women’s Health Information Center: www.4woman.gov/violence/types/dating.cfm
• National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline: www.loveisrespect.org
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.chooserespect.org
• Liz Claiborne’s “Love Is Not Abuse” campaign: www.loveisnotabuse.com
• Community United Against Violence support line-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sensitive support: (415) 333-HELP or (415) 333-4357; www.cuav.org
• Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN): (800) 656-HOPE or (800) 656-4673; www.rainn.org.
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