Challenges misconceptions

“She didn’t know how to seek help. The fact that she was undocumented made it harder — she didn’t have a reliable source of health care — and she faced the risk of being discovered and deported.”

Diverse perspectives

“At the PurpLE clinic, Ravi doesn’t see intimate partner violence as a series of broken bones, black eyes and stab wounds. ‘I look at it as an infection,’ she said. It causes both acute injuries — those broken bones — and ongoing chronic harm. It spreads from one person to another — perpetrators often hurt more than one woman in their life — and onto the next generation.”

Systems view

“Domestic violence has long been thought of as a criminal justice problem. Health care was there to patch up the wounds, maybe provide some mental health support, maybe dispense some information about shelters. But Ravi’s clinic is part of a growing — albeit unofficial — network of clinics and medical centers that are recognizing they have a crucial role to play in identifying, treating and ultimately reducing domestic violence. It’s not that no doctor or nurse has ever recognized that a patient has been battered and stepped in with help. Some do; some don’t. But there has not been a systemic, holistic, health-focused response at U.S. health care facilities, overseen by trained and aware health professionals and social service partners.”

Explores solutions

“Experts and advocates are now pushing for routine patient screenings and conversations about relationships — not just in emergency rooms but in a range of medical settings including primary care and particularly in pre-and post-natal care, because the time around childbirth is a high-risk time for escalating abuse. Physicians and other health providers are forming closer collaborations with domestic violence organizations that have the know-how to help survivors, rather than handing them a brochure about shelters or an offer to call the cops. And policymakers are doing their part too, making some of these approaches more consistent and providing incentives for looking harder at abuse as a factor in health.”

Empowering portrayal