ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – UW Health is partnering with the Mayor's Office of Domestic and Community Violence Prevention to provide additional resources for victims of strangulation and domestic violence.
More than $1 million was secured through support from 34th District Sen. Steve Stadelman of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This grant will enable University of Wisconsin Health to hire two additional emergency department staff members to provide support and additional resources to victims or suspected victims of domestic violence and strangulation .
“I think we need significant investment from the state to solve the really important problems in our community,” Stadelman said.
The funding will also support education and training opportunities for staff, as well as awareness campaigns across the community. Mayor Tom McNamara described a small task force that will be formed to develop a detailed action plan. He says critical survivors are getting the care they need and deserve, and perpetrators are facing the consequences of their actions.
“I want anyone cowardly enough to commit strangulation to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” McNamara said. “It excites me, too, to know that medical data and information can potentially be brought into court to educate juries so that we can hold the cowards who do this job accountable. Because I think they're responsible and there's a chain of events going on.''Their horrible, despicable acts are really important. ”
Jennifer Cacciapaglia, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Domestic and Community Violence Prevention, said nearly 50 percent of violent crimes in Rockford are due to domestic violence. She highlighted the urgency of identifying victims of strangulation in domestic abuse, saying those who have experienced strangulation have a 700% increased risk of death from homicide.
“We're hearing from survivors that a medically based response and mitigation of the trauma of non-fatal strangulation, especially traumatic brain injury, is what's next,” Cacciapaglia said. “To provide them with resources, long-term navigation and support from a medical-based perspective.”
UW Health has several partnerships with the City of Rockford. Travis Andersen, CEO of his UW Health in northern Illinois, said he is grateful to be part of this effort.
“Healthcare is more than just a cure or something that happens behind walls, it’s important that it becomes part of the fabric of the community,” Andersen says. “We hope to build the infrastructure and education, ensure the durability of our services, and prevent future cascading events over time.”
Cacciapaglia added that more than 50% of survivors who seek services from Family Peace Centers are strangled to death. She wants all victims to know they are not alone.
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