In August 2024, Shared Safety took significant strides toward improving healthcare responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault by hosting The Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Conference. The event, held at the CHOP Center for Violence Prevention within the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, was a collaborative effort featuring proposals from HIAS PA and PSARC. A multi-agency working group came together to facilitate planning and promotion, ultimately training over 60 healthcare professionals.
Graduates from the conference are equipped with essential know-how to serve survivors across various healthcare environments. With context-specific sessions, including tackling IPV in both pediatric and adult care settings, speakers shared valuable insights obtained from the city's announcement. Sessions like, "The Hidden Price of IPV" and "IPV, Immigrants, and Limited English Proficiency," covered a broad span of challenges, including cultural competency in healthcare.
Thankfully, the training didn't conclude with the conference itself. Healthcare pros can get on TRAIN.org and register for a free account to access the recorded sessions. The TRAIN Learning Network also offers—here's the kicker—free continuing learning credits.
Contributions from local experts helped to address areas such as IPV among immigrant populations, childcare implications, and forensic examination practices. Moderators and presenters, like Mae Reale and Joseph Herres, who discussed "IPV, Traumatic Brain Injury and Strangulation," imparted a depth of expertise that was foundational to the conference's success. Serving as a wealth of knowledge about victims' physical trauma, amidst sharing best practices for forensic examination was presented by the team including Laura Sinko, Krista Schroeder, and Jalla Atkins. They spoke on critical topics like mandatory reporting and evidence preservation, as noted by Philadelphia's government website.
