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Domestic Violence Partnerships
» Institute for Women’s Health
Community engagement is an important focus of the VCU Institute of Women’s Health. The institute has cultivated and sustained relationships with more than 30 community-based organizations, local and state government agencies to provide health-related services to women and address knowledge gaps through collaborative projects and the sharing of expertise and the dissemination of information.
One key focus area for institute community engagement has been domestic and sexual violence awareness, prevention and intervention. 
The institute has worked in collaboration with area domestic violence programs and VCU faculty, staff and students to identify community needs and gaps in services and responses. With funds from the Jenkins Foundation, the institute was able to offer health services to three area domestic violence shelters: the Richmond YWCA, Safe Harbor – Henrico and Safe Place – Hanover. The project provided a nurse to deliver on-site health assessment and education for residents and their children, using best-practice protocols to determine physical and mental health needs and to assist them in establishing a “medical home” for ongoing health services. It also provided trainings to professionals and community members to address the connections between domestic violence and health, working to build bridges for more effective and seamless services for survivors of violence.
With other grant funding, the institute was able to establish an on-site advocate in the VCU Medical Center emergency room for victims of domestic and sexual violence and to renovate and furnish a designated safe space in the ER for victims to receive services. These services, initially funded by the Philip Morris Employee Community Fund, were funded for a second year by an anonymous donor from the Community Foundation. Currently, they are working with the YWCA to develop a mechanism for ongoing support to provide a liaison between the Y and the VCU Medical Center in order to assure that advocacy services are available to victims 24 hours a day through an on-call hospital accompaniment project.
Get involved
To support this program or get involved as a volunteer, contact Janett Forte at jforte@vcu.edu.