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Domestic violence
protocols expand at PRHC Between 22 and 40 per cent of all women who access emergency rooms across Canada do so because of a domestic violence complaint or injury, according to statistics cited by Bobbie Martin-Haw. The alarming numbers are part of the reason the issue of domestic violence is front and centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre right now, with the expansion of its sexual assault program. Martin-Haw is the co-ordinator. “In our hospital, we can’t turn our eyes away and ignore this,” she says. “It’s imperative that our community and society acknowledge this is a major health issue,” she adds. Martin-Haw says the new name for the program is the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence program. This reflects new funding that was given to the hospital to expand the already-existing sexual assault program to include domestic violence. The co-ordinator says the hospital was one of 31 in Ontario that are members of the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault Centres, all of which received additional funding from the Province to expand the program. Since 1998 the Peterborough hospital has had a woman abuse protocol in place that focuses on universal screening. The domestic violence program will provide victims of violence with more options at the hospital. For instance, specially-trained nurses will be available to victims of domestic violence. These nurses will provide emotional support to the victims and appropriate examinations and documentation. Martin-Haw says the majority of victims of domestic violence are women who are assaulted by their partners. But this program will not exclude men who are assaulted by their partners or victims of violence in same-sex relationships, she adds. The co-ordinator says the hospital is also hiring a domestic violence follow-up nurse who can ensure the victim has support, either in person or on the phone, after any incident. Sometime in October, during the Month Without Violence, Martin-Haw says there will be an education and training day by invitation only for health professionals and community service providers. Marion Boyd, former attorney general of Ontario, will be the keynote speaker. |
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‘It’s imperative that our community
and society acknowledge this is a major health issue’ |
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