1. 1211 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone:
410-539-0872 Fax: 410-727-
5967
dvcoalition@medchi.org
Check Up F A L L 2 0 1 0
BOARD OF
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:DIRECTORS PREMIERE SCREENING OF A
NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM
Pregnancy and 2President
Audrey Bergin Homicide
Northwest Hospital
POWER AND CONTROL: Rape Investigations 2
Vice President
by PoliceColleen Moore DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
Mercy Medical Center
DV and Mental 3
Secretary-Treasurer Health
Michaele Cohen Health Care and Law Enforcement related supplemental
Maryland Network Staff Training 3
Against Domestic Violence films and a Question and Answer Session with
Film Director, Peter Cohn Power and Control: 4
Directors Domestic Violence in
America
Diana Cheng, MD Please register by October 8th! See page 4 for
Maryland Dept. of Health event flyer and more information.& Mental Hygiene
Lynn Fauerbach
Johns Hopkins Bayview
Beth Huber Health Care Response to Domestic Violence:Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
A Toolkit for Hospitals, Facilities and ProvidersAmy Johnson
Maryland Network
Against Domestic Violence The 75-page Toolkit is now lease forms for photogra-
finalized and trainers are phy, body maps, screeningErin Johnson
Center for A available to introduce the questions, and community
Healthy Maryland steps required to implement resources.
the policies and proceduresGail Reid
Turnaround, Inc. outlined in the toolkit. The Toolkit was piloted in
August 2010 at Prince
Joan Stine
Maryland Dept. of Health Several practical models are George’s Hospital CenterThe Maryland Health Care
and Mental Hygiene described—from in-house and will be evaluated in theCoalition Against Domestic
fully staffed programs to coming months. The SexualViolence has spent several
Coordinator partnerships with local pro- Assault Center at Princeyears developing a Toolkit to
Betsy Lehmann grams. The hospital may George’s Hospital Center
Baltimore County aid hospitals and other health
adopt the model that best will be implementing a newMedical Association (retired) care facilities in creating pro-
fits its own facility. hospital-based domestic vio-grams to better address do-
lence program. Please con-mestic violence with their
The Toolkit also contains tact the Coalition for morepatients.
numerous aids such as re- information on training and
consultation.
W W W . H E A L T H Y M A R Y L A N D . O R G / D O M E S T I C - V I O L E N C E - C O A L I T I O N . P H P

2. P A G E 2
Intimate Partner Homicide and Pregnancy
A recent article in the June younger than 25 years of nancy and the least
2010 issue of O bstetrics & age were at the highest risk prevalent during the last
Gynecology reconfirmed that for homicide. Firearms three months of postpar-
homicide was the leading were the most common tum. It is recommended
cause of death among preg- method of death and ac- that screening for domes-
nant and recently pregnant counted for 62% of deaths. tic violence should occur
women in Maryland. A current or former inti- before pregnancy or early
mate partner was the per- on during pregnancy.
The authors, Diana Cheng, petrator in 63% of solved
MD, and Isabelle Horon, Dr. homicides.
P.H., of the Maryland Depart- Intimate-Partner Homicide
Among Pregnant and Postpar-ment of Health and MentalResearch finds that intimate
tum Women. Cheng, Diana. &“25-45 % of abused Hygiene, reported that un- partner homicides were Horon, Isabelle L. O bstetrics
married women who were most prevalent during the and G ynecology. (June 2010).women were
African American and first three months of preg- Vol. 115, Issue 6, p.1181-1186.
abused while they
were pregnant,
Concern Over Police Handling of Rape Casesoften causing
miscarriages and According to a series of re- it to detectives specializing work group in the process
ports in the Baltimore Sun, in sex crimes. of establishing new proto-low birth-weight
there is nationwide concern cols for the response of sex-
babies. ” about police departments’ After the Sun’s original ual assault victims, based on
failure to fully investigate re- story, Baltimore mayor best practices across theUS Dept. of Justice,
ported rapes. An audit of Stephanie Rawlings-Blake county. Since the issue be-
1995 2,500 rape cases which began ordered a review of police gan to be addressed, rapes
in Philadelphia in 1999 found department policies and investigated by police in Bal-
that 2,300 of these cases began a review of rape data. timore are up 20 percent
were mishandled. A coalition In cooperation with Turn- this year.
of local women’s groups Around, Inc., a Towson-
were permitted to review the based agency for victims of National concern about re-
cases labeled “unfounded,” a domestic violence and sex- ports of systemic underre-
process that continues a dec- ual assault, a hotline was porting of rape crimes led to
ade later. established for victims to US Senate Crime and Drugs
call to report complaints in subcommittee to schedule a
In June, the Sun analyzed four the handling of rape investi- September hearing to exam-
years of crime statistics and gations. The investigation ine police handling of rape
reported that Baltimore led into the handling of prior cases. Witnesses testifying
the nation in the percent of rape cases, however, is before the committee called
rape cases which police found hampered by a lack of data for more consistent defini-
to be baseless or false; thirty resulting from the failure to tions of sexual assault to
percent of reported rapes file reports. However, allow the FBI to better col-
were determined to be un- there is an audit team to lect data for its annual Uni-
founded. Forty percent of review any complaints. In form Crime Report.
calls to 911 reporting rape some cases, detectives and
were dismissed at the scene, advocates are working to- Full story featured in the
never generated a report, gether to re-interview vic- Baltimore Sun on July 27, 2010.
and consequently never made tims. Currently, there is a
C H E C K U P

3. P A G E 3
Decline in Mental Health for Abused Women
mothers who results showed that all the in abusive relationships, but
lived with the women showed higher levels rather supports the belief that
father of their of depression at the end of these women still need a lot
child at the end three years, even if they had of support and services even
of the first year left a violent relationship. after the abuse ends. The
of the three- women are not okay just be-
year study. However, the women who cause the abuse has ended.
stayed in or left controlling
This study demonstrates theData was com- or violent relationships had
complexity of domestic vio-piled on the much higher levels of de-
lence and the issues that areA new study supported by a mothers, and they were pression and anxiety than
faced by women in such rela-grant from the National In- separated into three those women who either
tionships. The study did notstitute of Child Health and groups—those who experi- stayed in or left a non-
examine women past twoHuman Development found enced no abuse; those who violent relationship.
years, and researchers arethat the mental health of were in controlling relation-
unsure of long-term outcomesmothers may actually ships in which the fathers The study also showed that
for mental health.worsen in the two years af- were extremely critical, in- the women who had the
ter leaving a violent or con- sulting and controlled their support of friends and family
trolling relationship. actions, and those who ex- did not exhibit as high lev-
Ohio State University. (2010, August
perienced physical violence. els of depression and anxi-
26). Mothers abused by partners see
Researchers used data from ety as those with lower lev- decline in mental health even after
the Fragile Families and Child All the women were tested els of support. relationship ends. Science Daily.
Well-being study, a project for levels of depression and Retrieved from
www.sciencedaily.com/of Princeton and Columbia anxiety, and levels of social The study in no way suggests
releases/2010/08/100824110858.htm.
universities of about 2400 and religious support. The that women should remain
Staff Trainings Available
The Maryland lence Against Women Act related indicators of abuse, If you would like to arrange
Health Care (VAWA) has allowed us to screening and documenta- a domestic violence training
Coalition Against conduct these on-site train- tion, confidentiality and re- for your health care facility,
Domestic Vio- ings at hospitals and other porting in Maryland, and re- please contact Amy Johnson
lence and the Maryland health care facilities across sources and referral infor- at the Maryland Network
Network Against Domestic the state. The Coalition and mation. The trainings can be Against Domestic Violence,
Violence are again partner- MNADV have trained at customized based on the 301-352-4574 or Betsy Leh-
ing to offer trainings on over 14 hospitals and health needs of a particular hospital mann, Coalition Coordina-
domestic violence to health care facilities in 2010. The or facility. tor, 410-592-8693.
care professionals. Federal training topics include medi-
funding through the Vio- cal, treatment, and injury
Coalition Receives Grants
Funding for this newsletter and other initiatives of the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence
have been made possible through grants from the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Recovery Act
(VARA). New brochures and reprinted materials have been funded by a grant from the Herbert Bearman Founda-
tion.
F A L L 2010

4. In Recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month
The Sexual Assault Center of Prince George’s Hospital Center and
The Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence
PRESENTS A PREMIERE SCREENING OF
Domestic Violence and Health Care:
Best Practices in Action
&
Domestic Violence and Law Enforcement:
It Started in Duluth
Peter Cohn, Question and Answer Session
Director and Producer
with Peter Cohn and other domestic violence experts
Followed by full length documentary film,FEATURED
IN FILM Power and Control:
Domestic Violence in America
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Dr. Jackie Campbell, LOCATION
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Prince George’s Hospital Center
Deitz Auditorium (located on 1st floor)
3001 Hospital Drive, Cheverly, MD 20785
Free parking available
(please follow signs for designated free parking)
Colleen Moore, Event is free and lunch is provided!
Mercy Medical Center
Please register by October 8th
Karalyn Mulligan, 301-618-3154 or
karalyn.mulligan@dimensionshealth.org
Betsy Lehmann, 410-539-0872 or dvcoalition@medchi.org
Kim Mosher, Survivor
premiered in film