SAFETY ALERT: If you are in danger please call 911 or the 24-hour Iowa Victim Service Call Center at 1-800-770-1650 or text "iowahelp" to 201211-800-770-1650
The Public Health Approaches to Violence Against Women Program offers resources for health care providers to improve their responses to victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault.
The term "Intimate Partner Violence" (often called Domestic Violence) describes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking or psychological violence (including coercion) by a current or former intimate partner. The violence occurs on a continuum ranging from a single incident to long-term and ongoing episodes of violence. While IPV is difficult to accurately measure, national surveys indicate that one in three women have experienced some form of intimate partner violence by a current or former partner at some point in their lives. While relatively few women report the abuse to law enforcement authorities, many are seen by health care providers, who have the opportunity to identify the abuse, provide education, and intervene before the abuse becomes fatal. In Iowa all hospitals are required to have a protocol in place for the identifying and intervening with patients who experience domestic violence (Iowa Administrative Code [481] 51.7(3).
A sexual assault is a sexual act that is forced or coerced. A person of any age, gender, race/ethnicity, or economic status can be sexually assaulted. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women in Iowa have experienced contact sexual violence (including rape, sexual coercion, and/or unwanted sexual contact) in their lifetime. These estimates come from The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010-2012 State Report which can be found here.
The program collaborates to improve system response to survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence by:
- offering training and technical assistance to health care providers, and other professionals, on the impact of intimate partner and sexual violence on health;
- developing protocols for health care providers and organizations on identifying and intervening with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault;
- participating in numerous coalitions, work groups, and coordinated community response teams focused on intimate parter violence/sexual violence and intersecting risk and protective factors;
- assisting with activities during Sexual Assault Awareness Month which is held during every April, and Domestic Violence Awareness Month held in October
If you are interested in your agency or program receiving training on the impact of intimate partner violence/sexual violence on the health of the populations you serve, please contact:
Monica Goedken, MPA
Veto Violence
Prevent Intimate Partner Violence
Help create safer, healthier relationships and communities now and for everyone in the future.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men have experienced contact sexual violence*, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner with a negative impact (e.g., injury, fear, concern for safety, or needing services).
Among high school students who dated in the past year, 20% of females and 10% of males reported either physical violence, sexual violence, or both from a dating partner.
Preventing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a priority for CDC.
Prevention is possible. You can help make it happen by changing the contexts and underlying risks that contribute to IPV in homes, schools, and neighborhoods.
CDC’s technical package helps states and communities use the best-available evidence to prevent IPV.
6 strategies to prevent IPV:
- Teach safe and healthy relationship skills
- Engage influential adults and peers
- Disrupt developmental pathways toward partner violence
- Create protective environments
- Strengthen economic supports for families
- Support survivors to increase safety and lessen harms
It is important to monitor and evaluate your efforts while the field of violence prevention continues to evolve.
Be part of the solution. www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention
Your prevention efforts can involve developing new partnerships & working across sectors. Including: Public Health, Government, Education, Social Services, Health Services, Business, Labor, Justice, Housing, Community Organizations, Media, and Domestic Violence Coalitions
ACT NOW! Use CDC’s IPV prevention technical package to begin or expand your efforts.
Find planning & prevention resources: www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/ and vetoviolence.cdc.gov
- Prevention in Practice https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/
apps/violence-prevention- practice/#!/ - Connecting the Dots https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/
apps/connecting-the-dots/ content/home - Preventing IPV Across the Lifespan https://www.cdc.gov/
violenceprevention/pdf/ipv- technicalpackages.pdf - Preventing ACEs https://www.cdc.gov/
violenceprevention/pdf/ preventingACES.pdf
* Contact sexual violence includes rape, being made to penetrate, sexual coercion, and/or unwanted sexual contact.
COVID-19 Resources
GENERAL COVID-19 RESOURCES
- Iowa HHS COVID-19 Resources for Underserved Populations (Use Google Translate to view in multiple languages): https://idph.iowa.gov/Health-Equity/COVID-19-Resources-for-Underserved-Populations
- CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
RESOURCES FOR SUPPORTING SURVIVORS DURING COVID-19
- Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV): https://www.icadv.org/covid-19-resources
- Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault (IowaCASA): https://www.iowacasa.org/covid19
- Iowa Coalition for Collective Change: https://www.iowachange.org/covid-19
- Iowa Judicial Branch: https://www.iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/covid-19-information-and-updates/
- National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health: http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/trainingta/covid
- FUTURES Without Violence: https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/get-updates-information-covid-19
- National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV): https://nnedv.org/latest_update/resources-response-coronavirus-covid-19/
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center: https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/resources-for-covid-19-response
Health Care Provider Resources
Abuse in Later Life
- National Clearing House on Abuse in Later Life: NCALL
- CDC Elder Abuse
- Elder Abuse: Raising Awareness and Impact on Health (Webinar)
- Aging with Respect (Elder) Safety Card
- Sexual Violence in Later Life: A Technical Assistance Guide for Health Care Providers
- Elder Abuse: Indian Health Services
Campus Health
- Sex, Relationships, and Respect on Campus Safety Card
- Addressing Sexual + Intimate Partner Violence in Campus Health Centers
Child and Adolescent Providers
- Adolescent Health Safety Card
- Amazing Teen Brain
- Hanging Out or Hooking Up Adolescent Health Poster
- Connected Parents, Connected Kids Safety Card
- Promoting Resiliency Infographic
- Hanging Out or Hooking Up: Clinical Guidelines on Responding to Adolescent Relationship Abuse
- Healthy Relationships in Adolescence
- loveisrespect
Family-Support Resources
- Amazing Brain: What Every Part or Caregiver Needs to Know
- First Impressions: Exposure to Violence and a Child's Developing Brain (DVD)
- Perinatal Safety Card
- Home Visitation Safety Card
- Reproductive Health Pregnancy Wheel
- Pediatric Safety Card
Forensic Healthcare Resources
- Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines, Adult & Pediatric (updated 2018)
- Intimate Partner Violence Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines (Updated 2020)
- Forensic Nurse Death Investigator Guidelines (Developed 2009; Published 2013)
- Core Competencies for Advanced Practice Forensic Nursing (2004)
- Tribal Forensic Healthcare
- Indian Health Services Forensic Healthcare
General Health Systems
- National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence
- Compendium of State & US Territory Statues & Policies
- Privacy Principles
- National Consensus Guidelines on Identifying and Responding to Domestic Violence in Health Care Settings
- Ten Steps to Create a Comprehensive D/SV Health care Response
- FUTURES Without Violence Setting and Community Specific Resources
- Competencies Needed by Health Professionals for Addressing Exposure to Violence and Abuse in Patient Care
- Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day
- FUTURES Without Violence Safety Cards
- FUTURES: Health Resources Guide
- Health Cares About IPV
- IPV Health Partners
HIV Care
- DV & HIV/AIDS Toolkit
- HIV Testing, Treatment and Care
- Health, healing and relationships: You are not alone Safety Card
Human Trafficking
- A Scan of the Field: Learning About Serving Survivors of Human Trafficking (National latin@ network-casa de esperanza)
- Human Trafficking: The Role of the Healthcare Provider (Webinar)
- Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans
- Heal Trafficking
- Recognizing and Responding to Human Trafficking in a Healthcare Context (Webinar)
- Introduction to Labor and Sex Trafficking: A Health Care & Human Rights Challenge (Webinar)
- Office on Trafficking in Persons SOAR to Health and Wellness Training
Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming
- LBGTQ Intimate Partner Violence
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health
- Gender Spectrum Medical Resources
- Trauma-Informed Approaches to Building Affirming Environments for LGBTQ+ Youth (Webinar)
Primary Care
- Is Your Relationship Affecting Your Health? General Health Safety Card
- Relationships, Support and Wellness Mental Health Safety Card
- Practitioner Reference Card for Domestic Violence
- A Healthcare Guide for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence Survivor Brochure
Public Health
- CDC Intimate Partner Violence
- CDC Sexual Violence
- National Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Survey
Reproductive and Sexual Health
- Reproductive & Sexual Health
- The Facts on Reproductive Health and Partner Abuse
- Reproductive Health Poster
- Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Reproductive and Sexual Coercion: A Guide for Obstetric, Gynecological, Reproductive Health Care Settings
- Reproductive Health Pregnancy Wheel
- Reproductive Health Safety Card
- The Facts on Adolescent Pregnancy, Reproductive Risk, and Exposure to Dating and Family Violence
Sexual Assault Exams
- Iowa Sexual Assault Examination Protocol (2015 Update)
- To order Iowa sexual assault examination kits, contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (515) 725-1500
- Memo on Sexual Assault Examination Kits (May 2009)
- Memo on Sexual Assault Examination Kits (Feb 2015)
- National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations, Adults/Adolescents (SAFE Protocol, 2d.)- April 2013
- National Training Standards for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners (2nd Edition)- August 2018
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) SART Tool Kit
- Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) SART Toolkit
Strangulation Resources
- IAFN Non-Fatal Strangulation Documentation Toolkit
- Recommendations for the Medical/Radiographic Evaluation of Acute, Non-Fatal Strangulation
Trauma-Informed Health Care
- Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center (Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc.)
- Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation
- Building Cultures of Care: A Guide for Sexual Assault Services Programs
- Addressing Sexual and Relationship Violence: A Trauma-Informed Approach
- The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit
- What Is Compassion Fatigue?
- Running on Empty: Compassion Fatigue in Health Professionals
- Transforming Compassion Fatigue into Compassion Satisfaction: Top 12 Self-Care Tips for Helpers
Related Websites
- Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Iowa Coalition for Collective Change
- Iowa Victim Service Call Center
- FUTURES Without Violence
- Health Cares About IPV
- IPV Health Partners
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Association of Forensic Nurses
- SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions
Iowa Statutes and Administrative Rules
- Iowa Criminal Code 236 DOMESTIC ABUSE
- Iowa Criminal Code 709 SEXUAL ABUSE
- Administrative Rules for Facilities
This project was supported by Subgrant No. VP-20-93-MSA awarded by the state administering office for the STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.