Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence


			FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2003 AREA HOSPITALS BEGIN MASSIVE EFFORT TO SCREEN, IDENTIFY & PROVIDE HELP TO VICTIMS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE All local hospitals to adopt protocols jointly developed by the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence and Central Ohio Trauma System (COLUMBUS) - The Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence and the Central Ohio Trauma System today kicked off a landmark initiative to screen, identify and provide help to victims of family violence. It is the only community-wide effort of its kind in the state and perhaps the nation. Abigail S. Wexner, Founder and Board Chair, Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence; Dr. Olivia Thomas, Chief of Ambulatory Pediatrics at Children's Hospital and Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence Health Care Task Force Chair; and Dr. Jonathan Groner, Trauma Physician at Children's Hospital and Central Ohio Trauma System Board President briefed leadership from all local hospitals at the Columbus Medical Association, 431 East Broad Street. Those attending the kick off of this effort and the formal adoption of region-wide protocols included emergency department physicians, nurses and managers, as well as senior management such as CEOs, COOs and Presidents. Beginning in March, all emergency department staff members in Franklin County will be trained on how to screen all patients as part of standard procedures in order to identify and help victims. The goal is to make screening for family violence as routine as asking for an insurance card. Once complete, trainings will be held in adjacent counties. Similar protocols for emergency medical service personnel will be unveiled later this year. "Abuse is the most common reason women seek treatment from the medical system; more than accidents, muggings and rapes combined. Studies show that when all patients are screened for family violence, reporting increases exponentially," Wexner said. "Hospital emergency departments are one of the primary places victims access the health care system, and staff need to be trained to identify victims and get them the help they need." "With your help we will make real and significant changes in the lives of family violence victims, and give voice to the message that family violence will not be tolerated. We will use our institutional power to change the course of despairing lives," she added. "We not only have an opportunity but a responsibility to help victims. As a trauma physician in an urban hospital, my peers and I have seen first hand the bruises, broken limbs, shattered bones and even deaths that are part and parcel of abuse," said Dr. Groner. "Of the two-four million women abused in our country each year, one million seek care for their injuries. And, nationally more than two million child abuse cases are reported each year." "We as emergency department physicians and staff can play an extremely important role in breaking the cycle of violence with our patients. It begins by recognizing that abuse is a serious problem that can and must be solved. We are in a position to let victims know that they are not alone, do not deserve to be beaten, and that help is available. Our role is to ask, and ask more than once, to prevent someone from falling through the cracks and becoming a statistic," he added. "This joint initiative by the Coalition and COTS will help to break the cycle of violence in our community and make a significant difference in the lives of family violence victims. For the first time, all of our local hospitals are joining together and using their collective strength to help family violence victims by putting in place a formalized program to screen, identify, and provide resources to victims of abuse," said Dr. Thomas. "Our front line responders now have a strategy for identifying abuse and taking action." The Coalition focuses its work on five touch points - where the victim and societal institutions intersect - with task forces working to create systemic change. These task forces are: Business Community/Public Education, Faith Community, Health Care, Legal System and Victim Services. Founded in 1998, The Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence is comprised of leaders from businesses and organizations in Central Ohio committed to reforming our systems to stop the cycle of violence in our community. To learn more, go to www.thecolumbuscoalition.org.