Medical studies link the long-term effects of domestic violence and abuse with a myriad of health problems, such as smoking, diabetes, obesity, eating disorders, and substance abuse. While doctors and nurses routinely ask about high blood pressure and high cholesterol, too few assess for domestic violence and its impact on health. Universal education provides an opportunity for clients to make the connection between violence, health problems, and risk behaviors. Through a brochure-based universal education approach clients seeking services in health care facilities or domestic violence programs can receive information about the impact of abuse on their health.
Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day is a nationally-recognized day that takes place annually on the second Wednesday of October. Sponsored by FUTURES, the awareness-raising day aims to reach members of the healthcare and advocacy communities to offer education about the critical importance of universal education to promote healthy relationships, address the health impact of abuse and offer warm referrals to domestic violence advocates.
Planning ahead? The 24th annual HCADV Day will be held on October 11th, 2023. We offer a number of resources to help you organize events and activities on and beyond HCADV Day in our Action Kit and HCADV Day Past Activities Archive featuring planning tips and social media tools. We encourage you to be creative!
Events this year:
Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day: Building Partnerships to Support Survivors
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 11, 2023 10:00 AM PT, 12pm CT, 1pm ET
Experiencing intimate partner violence can have long lasting health consequences. At the same time, survivors are often prevented from accessing health care by the person harming them. Domestic violence programs can play an important role in connecting survivors to health care as one strategy to support their healing, wellness, and autonomy. This year’s Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day webinar will feature a panel of local domestic violence programs, state coalitions, and national resource centers that participated in the Survivor Health Connections Innovation Lab, funded by the Office of Family Violence Prevention Services. Speakers will share their strategies to create and sustain partnerships between health programs (including behavioral health) and domestic violence programs, as well as health policies that increase access to care for survivors. This webinar is collaborative effort of the Survivor Health Connections Project Training and Technical Assistance Consortium (SHCP TTA Consortium). The SHCP TTA Consortium is a partnership between The National Domestic Violence Hotline The National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health.
As a result of attending this webinar, participants will be better able to:
1. Describe the role domestic violence programs can have in addressing the health needs of survivors
2. Access at least two tools their organization can utilize to formalize a partnership with a health provider/program
3. Identify at least one health policy opportunity to increase health access for survivors
ASL and Spanish interpretation will be provided
View our HCADV Day Action Kit
View our HCADV Day Past Activities Archive
