Peer Leadership Network
The Domestic Violence and Health Care Partnership project developed influential leaders who now champion advancements in:
- Healthcare response to DSV
- Health advocacy for survivors
- Understanding DSV as a social determinant of health
- Regional and statewide policy change
Members of DVCHP have taken a leadership role to self-organize in their regions to engage new partners, promote additional partnership development, and build the case for continued investment.
Peer Leadership Network
The Peer Leadership Network, a cohort of four DVHCP teams, fostered engagement in peer-led technical assistance and leadership development:
Futures Without Violence convened the network over a six month period to create a strategic plan for sustainability, test feasibility of reimbursement models, and examine the most optimal data measures for demonstrating value. The network also informed strategy on regional and state policy change.
“The drive and interest of the Peer Leadership Network ultimately led to unexpected learning and well-developed champions in the health and DV fields. Working alongside this network was an important component of the project overall, informing our strategy and how this body of work is now taking form as we march forward to address prevention and survivor health more broadly.”
—Jennifer Haddad Bell, Futures Without Violence
Advancing State Policy
Leveraging the experiences and relationships built through the DVHCP, Futures Without Violence is working with key partners to advocate for best practices in addressing DSV as a health issue, and ensuring survivors’ access to care through health advocacy in DSV service settings.
FUTURES has developed a policy agenda with three broad goals that includes specific strategies to influence policy and practice across sectors:
- Improve prevention of and response to DSV in healthcare settings
- Improve DSV advocacy services response to health needs of survivors
- Increase external stakeholders awareness of the role of domestic violence and health care partnerships in the effective prevention and response to DSV
Lessons
- Health policy is in a state of flux and strategies must be attuned to the changing landscape
- By building on existing policies that support our policy agenda goals, we have an opportunity to promote strategies to full implementation
“Both DSV and health care partners are poised to share and scale their successes through actionable policy strategies. We are in conversation with key state level stakeholders who are excited and committed to working together to develop new policies and reinforce current policies that address the intersection on DSV and health.”
—Virginia Duplessis, Futures Without Violence
Leadership Cohort
The California Intimate Partner Violence & Health Policy Leadership Cohort was convened September 2017-2018 to promote practice and policy change that addresses DSV as a health issue. The network was comprised of representatives from over a dozen local, state, and national health, DV, policy advocacy and research organizations. Meeting in person and online for a year, the Leadership Cohort created three policy briefs to advocate for addressing the intersections of health and violence in DV programs, in clinical settings, and at the community level. In addition, they identified key dissemination opportunities, including webinars and conference presentations. Although the cohort no longer meets formally, several members continue to collaborate on related projects.