by Empower Yolo

February 17, 2016

Empower Yolo and CommuniCare Health Center named one of six domestic violence programs and community health centers selected to receive funding, training, and support to address intimate partner violence

Stereotyped as the “healthy minority,” API women’s health concerns are often underestimated and ignored by healthcare providers, lawmakers, and the general public. The research that does focus on API women lumps them into one monolithic category that fails to take account of the diverse cultural and linguistic differences among separate subgroups. As a result, API women continue to suffer from significant health disparities that could be prevented or treated with early detection, leading to poorer health outcomes than the general population (Law Students for Reproductive Justice, 2014).

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In December 2015, national nonprofit Futures Without Violence named Empower Yolo and CommuniCare Health Center as one of six community health centers and domestic violence programs that will receive funding to expand their capacity to support survivors and victims of domestic and sexual violence. The first phase of this project funded three sites and this second phase expands to now engage six new sites. The selected centers and partnering local domestic violence organizations will collaborate to identify and respond to domestic and sexual violence—an issue that affect one in every four women in the United States.

From now until September 30, 2016, Empower Yolo will work with CommuniCare Health Center’s Perinatal Programs to promote the safety and health of people seeking services in either the health care center or domestic violence program. Futures Without Violence will provide technical assistance, training, and resources to support the collaborations. “Domestic violence and sexual abuse can directly impact a woman’s health–even increasing her risk for chronic health outcomes such as asthma and heart disease, unintended pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and depression ,” said Lisa James, director of health at Futures Without Violence. “These six outstanding health care centers and domestic violence programs are in a unique position to detect and respond to signs of abuse among their patients, and have the potential to make a tremendous impact in their communities.”

The pilot program is funded through a collaboration of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services including: the HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care, the HRSA Office of Women’s Health, and the Administration for Children and Families’ Family and Youth Services Bureau, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program.