Public health, family violence and FVPF

Public health and family violence programs are learning to work together. Much of this change has occurred in this century including a new Family Violence Prevention Forum in APHA. The process is not new with public health nurses finding family violence on home visits, CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics addressing child abuse data systems, and APHA annual conference presentations on partner violence. Still public health may limit involvement resisting the issue of reporting family violence despite records on STD including HIV in children and birth records of young and preteen mothers pregnant by adult males. The new APHA Family Violence Prevention Forum, FVPF provides some measure of that expansion with 468 members entering it's second year of official status. ICEHS and MCH were particularly helpful in creation of FVPF. That support continues with at least 6 % of ICEHS members and 4 % of MCH members adding FVPF membership. Large numbers of new FVPF members come from: PHEPH (87), MCH (59), Epidemiology (43), PHN (40), ICEHS (29), Health Administration (24) and HIV Aids (20). All Sections and SPIGS have members in FVPF. The Women's Caucus has been an active partner. Almost all states have membership along with multiple countries. Liaison outside APHA is growing with multiple major agencies and associations including the AMA. FVPF will help connect people with common interest including FVPF members with each other and numbers will be updated for presentation.