Nearly one-third of American women will experience violence from an intimate partner. It is the leading cause of female homicides and injury-related deaths during pregnancy and accounts for a significant portion of emergency room visits. Domestic violence is linked to many chronic medical and mental health problems, and increases health-risk behaviors, such as smoking and substance abuse.

At Lancaster General, we began our domestic violence initiative by focusing on our employees, 80 percent of whom are women. Through our Domestic Violence Employee Awareness and Assistance policy and other resources, managers are trained to respond to any employee affected by domestic violence. We encouraged staff to learn how to recognize and respond to abuse so they could become resources not only for patients, but also for family, friends and the community. Employees enthusiastically embraced these efforts, attending over 30 education sessions on domestic violence.

These efforts were recognized statewide. Only one year into our initiative, we won the 2006 Hospital & Health System Association of Pennsylvania Workforce Award.

A Safe Haven Lancaster County OASIS is a safe haven for the most vulnerable victims of sexual assault: children.

As a community-based healthcare system, Lancaster General has the opportunity to play a major role in identifying and responding to victims and preventing future violence. We reached out through conferences, workshops and other events related to violence prevention – for both victims and the many professionals who work with them every day. In June 2006, more than 60 religious leaders attended a workshop on responding to victims and offenders in their congregations, hosted by the Lancaster Coalition Against Family Violence. Lancaster General works with and supports the efforts of the Coalition, including the production and countywide distribution of domestic violence posters and crisis resource cards. (For free copies, call the coalition at 717-544-3222.) We also partner with the Samaritan Counseling Center, an interfaith ministry providing counseling, education and consultation for abuse victims.

The SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner) program is staffed by our emergency department nurses, who receive special training and are on-call 24/7 to assist with adult sexual assault cases. SAFE is now in its fifth year and has aided more than 400 victims.