Public health prevention and intervention with family violence

Family violence was generally ignored by society until the 1960s. With some exception, public health involvement came later. This century public health programs at CDC include data driven prevention programs, studies with other agencies with other agencies, programs to define terms and data on injured infants and pregnant homicide victims. Public health nursing had earlier involvement with firsthand knowledge with home visits. Community workers, law enforcement, child protective services and advocates for women's shelters have an understanding of the issue that can lead to line staff working together when management staff remain separate. The Women's Caucus of APHA has a long history of addressing violence against women. Consensus publications provide intervention frameworks for coordinated community responses to domestic and sexual violence. Public health provides great resources with population studies and structures for comprehensive programs, primarily focused on prevention. Public health funds supported studies of poor health outcomes for survivors of adverse childhood experience including child abuse. A CDC Webinar added resources on child abuse prevention. This panel will target child, sibling, and partner, older and vulnerable adult victims. Topics include legal and ethical issues and problems coordinating community responses. Model programs will be presented that include a discussion on the potential merits and hazard of using public health records to detect victims. This includes birth and death records, STD and HIV records in children, hospital discharge data and insurance claims. Models will be presented for family violence policy, programs and standards for local state and federal public health programs.