Providing advocacy and supportive services to victims of domestic violence who present at hospitals

The Foundation's Local Initiative Funding Partners Program is a matching grants program designed to establish partnerships between the Foundation and local grantmakers in support of innovative, community-based projects that improve health and health care for underserved and vulnerable populations.Adult victims of domestic violence may come to an emergency room for treatment, yet return to an abusive situation if their need for appropriate support, referrals, and safety planning is not recognized. The Metropolitan Family Violence Coalition (MFVC) attempts to break this cycle of domestic violence by providing advocates to victims of abuse who seek medical care at any of 18 hospitals in the greater Kansas City area. The purpose of this project is to effect systems change in urban and community medical centers by integrating domestic violence education into all levels of service, training personnel to identify victims among patients and among their own staff, and eventually by institutionalizing the advocate's role to create a hospital-based safety net for women who have been abused. MFVC is a coalition of six respected domestic violence agencies that already collaborate across state and county lines to provide beds and services for victims. They are well positioned to prompt local hospitals to adopt shared screening protocols and response strategies so that injured women need not remain vulnerable to further abuse.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $475,000.00

Awarded on: 6/24/2003

Time frame: 7/1/2003 - 6/30/2006

Grant Number: 48856