Celebrating Five Years of Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation

As we embark on our sixth year of our project, Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation, we’re proud to reflect on the meaningful progress made alongside health centers (HCs) and primary care associations (PCAs) across the country. Health Partners is funded by HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) as a National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP). We’re dedicated to supporting the HC program in preventing and addressing intimate partner violence (IPV), human trafficking (HT), and exploitation (E).

Over the past year, we’ve deepened our efforts to expand clinical care, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, and build workforce capacity to support patients impacted by IPV/HT/E. Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished:

Hosted national audience webinars addressing priority topics for HC staff and community partners, including:

• eClinicalWorks Smart Tool Presentation (with NACHC)
• Serving Patients with Limited English Proficiency (with AAPCHO & NCFH)
• Oral Health and Intimate Partner Violence: Strategies for Providing Safe and Comfortable Patient Experiences (with NNOHA)
• 2024 Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day 
• NACHC’s PCA Office Hour on IPV 
• Two Communities of Practice (CoP) each with 4 sessions exploring topics: emergency preparedness and IPV; and HC responses to human trafficking

Published resources supporting HCs, PCAs and their partners. Topics include:

• Enhancing Emergency Preparedness in Health Centers for Addressing IPV, HT, and Exploitation (Educational Brief)
• Confidentiality in the Age of Open Notes (Educational Brief)
• A Practical Guide on IPV, Human Trafficking, and Exploitation and Technology Tools (with HITEQ)
• Spanish-language CUES Infographic (with Migrant Clinicians Network)

Presented at state and national conferences, connecting with HC and PCA staff to share insights on clinical care and patient safety:

• 2025 Northwest Regional Primary Care Association Spring Summit
• 2024 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference
• Community Care Network of Kansas Annual Conference 
• 2024 National Conference on Domestic Violence
• New Mexico Primary Care Association Annual Conference
• School-Based Health Alliance Annual Conference

Collaborated with other NTTAPs:

• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations 
• Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) STAR Center
• Farmworker Justice
• Fenway, LGBTQAI Health Education Resource Center
• HITEQ Center
• MHP Salud
• Migrant Clinicians Network
• National Center for Farmworker Health
• National Network for Oral Health Access
• An evaluation team at the University of Pittsburgh
• And a cadre of experts including survivors with lived experiences and working in the fields of health and violence. 

Supported BPHC’s Supplemental Funding to PCAs on IPV:

In 2024, HRSA’s BPHC provided supplemental funding to state/territory PCAs to enhance their IPV-related training and technical assistance (T/TA).  As a response, we expanded our T/TA to help equip PCAs and their state/territory domestic violence coalition partners, with practical tools and strategies to strengthen IPV prevention and response across their member HC networks.

Learn more about state and territory responses to IPV/HT/E.

Looking Ahead

As we begin our sixth year, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to the staff at HCs, PCAs, community programs, NTTAPs and survivor leaders whose support makes our work possible. Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue advancing health and safety for survivors by exploring key topics on IPV including elders and emergency preparedness, and employment strategies for survivors of human trafficking. 

Visit our website to join upcoming learning activities, view webinar recordings and access resources. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, Catalyst for Change, to stay informed about the latest updates and initiatives (see the bottom of our website to sign-on).

Warmly,

• Lisa James, MA, Vice President, Health, Futures Without Violence
• Anna Marjavi, Director, Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation
• Kenede Pratt-McCloud, Program Assistant, Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation
• Megha Rimal, MSW, Program Specialist, Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation
• Jake Sese, MPH, Program Assistant, Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation