The Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Services program at UofL Health – UofL Hospital recently received grant funding that will be used to restore domestic violence advocacy services.

This project will reinstate services lost during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure intimate partner violence (IPV) and family violence victims have the tools they need to escape violence and prevent further injury. Advocates will provide acute victim support at UofL Hospital – Emergency Department. SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Nurses will provide forensic examinations for family violence victims who have previously been underserved. Additional hospital staff will be educated on IPV screening protocols to improve victim identification. It also expands forensic exams to include victims of family violence

In addition, the SAFE Services program is partnering with the UofL Hospital – Trauma Institute to provide training for community health workers on domestic violence screening and education for physicians on domestic violence.

“This additional American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding ensures UofL Hospital can continue to provide the help victims really need, including immediate advocacy and safety planning after their assault,” said Amanda Corzine, MSN, RN, SANE-A, NE-BC, nurse manager for UofL Hospital – SAFE Services. “Despite the many challenges health care has faced during the past three years, this ARPA grant funding will ensure victims still receive critical services to escape violent and life-threatening circumstances. We are grateful the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet (KJPSC) recognizes the increased need for victim services in our current environment and is working to meet victim needs.”

The services UofL Hospital will be able to offer domestic violence victims – advocacy and forensic exams by SANE is more than any other hospital in our region provides. We are unique in our ability to provide immediate bedside intervention for domestic violence victims to help them escape life-threatening situations.

This is a one-year grant with the option to reapply for one additional year. Our hope is to expand the program in the second year to all UofL Health Emergency Room locations in an effort to further strengthen our domestic violence victim services throughout the system.

For more information on UofL Health – SAFE Services, click here.

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UofL Health is a fully integrated regional academic health system with eight hospitals, four medical centers, Brown Cancer Center, Eye Institute, nearly 200 physician practice locations, and more than 1,000 providers in Louisville and the surrounding counties, including southern Indiana. Additional access to UofL Health is provided through a partnership with Carroll County Memorial Hospital. With more than 13,000 team members – physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and other highly-skilled health care professionals, UofL Health is focused on one mission: to transform the health of communities we serve through compassionate, innovative, patient-centered care.

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