With June coming to a close, Health Partners on IPV +Exploitation, a project of Futures Without Violence (FUTURES), will complete its sixth and final year as a National Technical Assistance Program, funded by HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). Since 2020, our team has strived to provide high-quality, applicable training to health centers (HCs) nationwide, with a lens for improving primary care responses to intimate partner violence (IPV), human trafficking (HT), and exploitation (E) experienced by both their patients and their staff. We have fostered invaluable cross-sector partnerships between HCs, Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Agencies, Primary Care Associations (PCAs), and Statewide Domestic Violence Coalitions.

Across the past six years, we are proud to have supported HCs and their partners in refining their clinical care, strengthening and formalizing their partnerships, and increasing their capacity to support patients impacted by IPV/HT/E. Below, we’ll recap some of our accomplishments.

We have hosted 46 national audience webinars on a variety of topics, including:

• Economic and Health Needs of Survivors of Human Trafficking
• Intimate Partner Violence and Elder Abuse Later in Life
• Supporting Patients Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Opportunities for Oral Health Providers
• Adolescent Health and Confidentiality in the Age of Open Notes and Telemedicine
• Evidence-Based and Promising Interventions to Address IPV and Maternal Health
• Promoting Resilient Workforces: Workplace Strategies to Address Impacts of Trauma and Domestic Violence

Led 27 cohorts in Communities of Practice, deepening their knowledge of subjects such as:

• Collaborating to Address Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Areas
• Coordinating Care and Safety for Patients: Navigating Behavioral Health and Intimate Partner Violence
• Healing-Centered Approaches to Addressing Adolescent Relationship Abuse and Human Trafficking for School-Based Health
• Utilizing Health Information Technology to Address UDS Requirements on IPV and HT

Crafted 27 publications to support HCs and their partners, including tools, informational briefs, and resources like:

• Youth with Disabilities and Human Trafficking (Educational Brief)
• Intimate Partner Violence and Elder Abuse in Later Life: Educational Brief
• Building Sustainable and Fruitful Partnerships Between Health Centers and Domestic Violence Advocacy Organizations
• Privacy Principles for Protecting Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence, Exploitation and Human Trafficking in Healthcare Settings

Presented at 14 conferences to staff and leadership from HCs, PCAs, and HCCNs.

Bolstered PCA IPV Responses

HRSA’s BPHC provided supplemental funding to state/territory PCAs to support their efforts in improving IPV responses. This opportunity garnered interest in our efforts and led to several PCAs reaching out to us for IPV training to support their member HCs. Since then, our relationships with PCAs have flourished, with several states partnering with us on national activities. Budding partnerships with regional PCAs like CHAMPs and NWRPCA blossomed into collaborations on activities over multiple years. Here’s a look at what we were able to accomplish through these partnerships:

• Partnered on activities or trainings with 12 different PCAs
  • Including multi-year partnerships with CHAMPS and NWRPCA
• Presented at the conferences of 4 different PCAs
• Provided Technical Assistance or Training to 16 PCAs in either small cohort or 1 on 1 consultations

Moving Forward

As our time as an NTAP comes to a close, we want to take time to thank everyone who has made our work possible.  We would like to extend our gratitude to the team of consultants who bring expertise and fresh perspective to our programs.  We thank our fellow NTAPs, whose partnership has increased our reach and led to many successful collaborations.  We would like to thank the subject matter experts and survivors that have shared their experiences and breathed life into our trainings and webinars.  Lastly, we would like to thank the staff from HCs, DV/SA agencies, PCAs, and other community partners who attended our trainings and utilized our tools.  We are grateful for your efforts to improve responses for survivors of IPV and HT, and for so often bringing your own expertise to the table for the benefit of your peers.

While our NTAP project is saying goodbye, FUTURES will continue to support healthcare responses to IPV and HT.  Check out our page showcasing our health initiatives on the FUTURES website.  Many of our resources and tools will be housed on these pages or on the FUTURES resource library.  Our archive of webinars will also remain on the FUTURES YouTube channel under this playlist.  Sign up for the FUTURES newsletter on our homepage to stay informed of the latest updates to our initiatives.

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
• Jake Sese, MPH, Program Associate, Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation