Providence Supports Intimate Partner Violence Hospital Response Program

YWCA Spokane Receives $33,000 from Providence Health Care for Intimate Partner Violence Hospital Response Program

With a grant from Providence Health Care’s Community Benefit Fund program, YWCA Spokane begins its second year of offering support to victims of intimate partner violence in the healthcare setting.

Intimate Partner Violence Hospital Response Program is a partnership between YWCA Spokane and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital and Providence Holy Family Hospital, which connects victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) with trained advocates through partnerships with healthcare providers and law enforcement to mitigate the impacts of IPV on both victims and their children. The program builds on tools and processes developed with law enforcement to train medical staff in best-practices for identifying and screening for IPV. Through these partnerships, the YWCA delivers confidential, in-person advocacy to provide victims with information and safety planning, connect them to resources, and give them options so they are not forced to return to their abusers.

“After a thorough discernment process and careful consideration of our community’s needs we believe that the YWCA Spokane plays a critical role in creating a healthier community,” said Sara Clements – Sampson, Providence Health Care Community Benefit Manager.

Presentation of the grant award included YWCA hospital advocates and law enforcement from the Domestic Violence Unit housed within the Spokane Family Justice Center at YWCA Spokane. “The success of this program is the result of the dedication of the law enforcement officers, emergency room staff and hospital advocates working together to ensure victims have access to confidential advocates and lifesaving services when they access law enforcement or healthcare providers,” said YWCA Spokane CEO Regina Malveaux. “The program has had a significant impact on the number of victims accessing services, helping them move from trauma to safety, hope, and healing,” she added.

About Providence Health Care

Providence Health Care is the eastern Washington service area of Providence Health & Services, a not-for-profit Catholic health care ministry committed to providing for the needs of the communities it serves – especially for those who are poor and vulnerable. In eastern Washington, the Providence Health Care network of services includes Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and Providence Holy Family Hospital – all nationally recognized for quality care, as well as two critical access hospitals in Colville and Chewelah. It also includes a full continuum of services – Providence Medical Park in Spokane Valley (a comprehensive multi-specialty center), three urgent care centers, home health, assisted living, adult day health and skilled nursing care. Providence Medical Group of eastern Washington includes more than 850 physicians and advanced practitioners. Its medical staff includes primary care providers, surgical subspecialists and medical specialists. For more information, visit www.phc.org.

About YWCA Spokane

For over 115 years, YWCA Spokane has been helping women and children overcome social, economic, and personal barriers in order to accomplish their goals and achieve healthier and more fulfilling lives. Today areas of focus include supporting victims of intimate partner domestic violence, promoting early childhood education, and confronting racial and social justice issues that negatively impact our clients and our community.

In 2017, we served over 16,000 women, children and families. Services include a continuum of wrap-around support: 24-hour Helpline and Safe Shelter, Counseling Center, Mental Health Services, Child Advocacy, Civil Legal Assistance, Legal Advocacy, and Economic Empowerment Advocacy. YWCA’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) provides 3- and 4-year-old children with the social and learning skills necessary for successful entry into kindergarten.

By working at the intersections of inequality, poverty, and domestic violence, YWCA Spokane is able to disrupt longstanding societal patterns of trauma.