A domestic violence program funded by the Administration for Children and Families and the Indian Health Service has showed dramatic success at improving the health system’s response at IHS facilities across the United States, according to Building Domestic Violence Health Care Responses: A Promising Practices Report, published by the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

The program, called the IHS/ACF Domestic Violence Project, began in 2002. It included routinely screening women for domestic violence when they sought services at more than 100 participating IHS facilities in 18 states as well as training staff members at these facilities and domestic violence advocacy programs across the country on domestic violence health system change, the development of community-wide domestic violence response teams, creating patient education materials and other components.

When the program began, only 4 percent of women at IHS facilities were screened by doctors and nurses for domestic violence. By 2009, when the program ended, 48 percent were being screened.

“In Indian country, health care providers are often the first responders to domestic violence, and the health care setting offers a critical opportunity for early identification and primary prevention of abuse,” said Anna Marjavi, FVPF program manager and co-author of the Promising Practices report, said in a press release.

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