Task Force on Violence in Health Care
The Task Force is designing a comprehensive program to deal with the issue of Domestic Violence in a Health Care setting. The Domestic Violence Education Program for staff will have three components:
The outcomes to be achieved include:
THE NEED:
To establish protocols and devise systems to better identify, educate and respond to the effects of domestic abuse among health care workers throughout B.C.’s health care system.
THE JWIC SOLUTION:
A task force consisting of Regional Health Care Directors, Regional Directors for Employee and Workplace Health and Safety, Hospital Occupational Health and Safety Department Leaders, Clinical and Associate University Professors, Hospital Operations Leader for Maternity & Special Care Nursery, Victim Service Medical Support Workers, Professional Practice Leaders in Social Work, Hospital Operations Leaders in Medicine & Ambulatory Care, Professors of Nursing, as well as Executive Directors, Community Leaders, and Education Chairs of Domestic Abuse Service Societies. Elements include: general education, “Keep Safe Sessions” for new employees, Domestic Violence Sensitivity Training for leaders and managers, and an Advisory and Response Team on DV in Health Care facilities.
THE DETAILS:
This program will provide a practical, flexible tool to assist employers deal with the impact of family violence on the workplace. DV affects employee performance and morale. By providing employers and employees with DV prevention, education, and management tools, the quality of work life will be enhanced. Improving responses to the impact of domestic violence as it spills over into the workplace helps reduce feelings of isolation and shame that are inherent to the problem. It will also decrease workers’ and employers’ financial losses resulting from the impact of domestic violence problems in health care.
THE NEED:
To propel the work currently underway in British Columbia (BC) on Violence in Health Care, a hot-button issue in all corners of BC, from community nursing and residential facilities, to Acute Care centers.
THE JWIC SOLUTION:
A Vancouver based “B.C. Task Force On Violence In Health Care” was created coincidentally and serendipitously at the same time as the Provincial Health Minister’s directive to all Health Regions in BC to establish protocols and devise systems to better deal with Domestic Violence in Health Care, by October of this year.
THE DETAILS:
Based on discussions with the Coordinator of Domestic Violence Programs for Providence Health Care (PHC) and Vancouver Coastal Acute (VCA) in Vancouver, it became apparent that funding was needed for an educational piece on protocols and procedures on the topic of DV among health care workers. JWIC obtained a commitment of $25,000 from an anonymous donor to fund the production of an educational video and accompanying educational brochures. Experienced commercial documentary producers in this area of work have been selected to produce the Video. Previous videos on the topic of DV, produced under the direction of the Coordinator of DV programs for (PHC), have been chosen by Health Canada for distribution & partnership.
While still in the planning stages, the Task Force has partnered with medical and health leaders in BC, is positioned to possibly have Health Canada as a distributor of its end product, and will further add to the to continuous goal of establishing JWIC as one of the leading resources on Domestic Violence/Domestic Abuse.
By partnering with such a large medical conglomerate, JWIC’s future funding requests will be seen as being of a more substantive nature. Conversely, by providing funding for this project, JWIC is seen as a desirable partner to other organizations in the arena of Domestic Violence - both inside and outside of Health Care.
