Health News
The tragic case of Yeardley Love, a UVA student killed this week during an altercation with her ex-boyfriend, is an unfortunate reminder that domestic violence can impact anyone.
"Anyone can find themselves caught in an abusive relationship," says Northwest Hospital Domestic Violence (DOVE) program coordinator Audrey Bergin. "Here were two young people who are well-educated and, by all accounts, successful athletes who found themselves in this terrible situation. It's a reminder that domestic violence does not discriminate."
Since the DOVE program began five years ago, Bergin and her staff have helped more than 800 victims, many of whom came in through Northwest ER-7. The program staff educates Northwest?s entire in-house medical staff about how to recognize signs of abuse, how to screen for it, and what victims? rights and reporting laws are. Additionally, staff provide 24/7 crisis counseling for the people it helps, gives education to domestic violence victims about their legal options and will accompany victims to court.
The Family Violence Program at Sinai Hospital is also dedicated to breaking the cycle of abuse, providing individual and group counseling for women, ongoing support services, services coordination, legal information and court advocacy.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 24 hours a day. You can find a complete list of services available in Maryland by clicking here.
Sadly, only 4 percent of domestic violence homicide victims had reached out to a domestic violence hotline at the time of their death, Bergin says. That's why first responders, including Baltimore County Police, are increasingly using a "lethality assessment", a series of 11 questions developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence that has been shown to improve victim safety. To learn more, you can watch this ABC News video or click here.
To learn more about violence prevention programs at LifeBridge Health, call 410-601-WELL (9355).
- First Lady Speaks Out On Behalf Of Domestic-violence Victims; Ky. Is One Of Four States Without Protection For Date-violence Victims
First Lady Jane Beshear pointed out the accomplishments of the anti-domestic violence movement in Kentucky this week, and spoke the names of 26 women who had died at the hands of their abusers this year. With that, she then announced that October would...
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by Audrey Bergin, MA, Coordinator, Domestic Violence(DOVE)Program at Northwest Hospital The Domestic Violence Program at Northwest Hospital (DOVE) partners with many local agencies, including the House of Ruth, which provides emergency shelter and legal...
- Last Week To See A Line In The Sand
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Health News
Help Available for Domestic Violence Victims
The tragic case of Yeardley Love, a UVA student killed this week during an altercation with her ex-boyfriend, is an unfortunate reminder that domestic violence can impact anyone.
"Anyone can find themselves caught in an abusive relationship," says Northwest Hospital Domestic Violence (DOVE) program coordinator Audrey Bergin. "Here were two young people who are well-educated and, by all accounts, successful athletes who found themselves in this terrible situation. It's a reminder that domestic violence does not discriminate."
Since the DOVE program began five years ago, Bergin and her staff have helped more than 800 victims, many of whom came in through Northwest ER-7. The program staff educates Northwest?s entire in-house medical staff about how to recognize signs of abuse, how to screen for it, and what victims? rights and reporting laws are. Additionally, staff provide 24/7 crisis counseling for the people it helps, gives education to domestic violence victims about their legal options and will accompany victims to court.
The Family Violence Program at Sinai Hospital is also dedicated to breaking the cycle of abuse, providing individual and group counseling for women, ongoing support services, services coordination, legal information and court advocacy.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 24 hours a day. You can find a complete list of services available in Maryland by clicking here.
Sadly, only 4 percent of domestic violence homicide victims had reached out to a domestic violence hotline at the time of their death, Bergin says. That's why first responders, including Baltimore County Police, are increasingly using a "lethality assessment", a series of 11 questions developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence that has been shown to improve victim safety. To learn more, you can watch this ABC News video or click here.
To learn more about violence prevention programs at LifeBridge Health, call 410-601-WELL (9355).
- First Lady Speaks Out On Behalf Of Domestic-violence Victims; Ky. Is One Of Four States Without Protection For Date-violence Victims
First Lady Jane Beshear pointed out the accomplishments of the anti-domestic violence movement in Kentucky this week, and spoke the names of 26 women who had died at the hands of their abusers this year. With that, she then announced that October would...
- House Of Ruth Launches Boutique
by Audrey Bergin, MA, Coordinator, Domestic Violence(DOVE)Program at Northwest Hospital The Domestic Violence Program at Northwest Hospital (DOVE) partners with many local agencies, including the House of Ruth, which provides emergency shelter and legal...
- Last Week To See A Line In The Sand
This is the last week to see the House of Ruth Maryland's A Line in the Sand. This special exhibit features portraits of groups or individuals who have made a large impact in preventing domestic violence. It has been touring for two years, and Sinai...
- Traveling Exhibit Explores Domestic Violence
House Of Ruth Maryland's traveling exhibit, 'A Line In The Sand', is on display in the Northwest Hospital lobby through November. The exhibit explores domestic violence, which claimed the lives of at least 45 women and children in Maryland...
- Chris Brown, Rihanna Case Puts Spotlight On Domestic Violence
The Chris Brown-Rihanna domestic violence story is back on the front page today. Brown, a 19-year-old R&B singer, was formally charged with two counts of felony assault. He remains free on $50,000 bail. The incident, though unfortunate, provides us...