Coalition Events

On October 14th, 20201 the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a screening of the documentary “And So I Stayed,” followed by a thought-provoking panel discussion, moderated by Tovah Kasdin, Health Care Coalition Steering Committee Member and Director of the ElderSAFE Center.

Panelists included: Deborah Knapp, Survivor and Advocate; Leigh Goodmark, JD, Marjorie Cook Professor of Law and Director of the Gender Violence Clinic; Lakeisha Keyes, Corrections Educator and Crisis Counselor of UM Capital Region Health; and Melissa Hoppmeyer, Chief of the Special Victims and Family Violence Unit of Prince George’s County.

“And So I Stayed” is an award-winning documentary about survivors of abuse fighting for their lives and spending years behind bars. These women paid a steep price with long prison sentences, lost time with loved ones, and painful memories. Formerly incarcerated survivor-advocate Kim Dadou Brown, who met her wife while incarcerated, is a driving force in the passage of New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a new law meant to prevent survivors from receiving harsh prison sentences for their acts of survival. Nikki Addimando, a mother of two young children, suffered the consequences when a judge didn’t follow the law’s guidelines. Tanisha Davis, a single mother who was ripped away from her son in 2013, is hopeful the new law is her way out of a harsh prison sentence.

On September 14th, 2021, the Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence hosted “Implicit Bias in Health Care” the fourth seminar within the “Health and Domestic Violence” series. The event was conducted by Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole, M.D., physician and health disparities researcher, with a focus on the impact of racism on health outcomes. The event was attended by close to sixty different health care providers, domestic violence advocates, and allied professionals.

Keep a lookout for the more information about the next seminar in the series, which will be announced here in the coming weeks! In the meantime, you can always request a training for your staff or agency through the trainings page on our site.

On March 24th, 2021, the Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence presented “Intimate Partner Violence and Pregnancy” the third seminar within the “Health and Domestic Violence” series, where over 80 participants learned about IPV’s negative health impacts on pregnancy, its intersections with maternal mortality and morbidity, how to properly respond to IPV in an OBGYN setting, and more. The live seminar was attended by individuals representing a number of different professions including physicians, nurses, law enforcement, counselors, social workers, domestic violence advocates, and others.

On December 17th, 2020, the Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence presented “The Health Care Response to Intimate Partner Violence,” the second seminar within the “Health and Domestic Violence” series, where participants learned to define intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence and dynamics, determine a proper health care response to IPV from a trauma-informed approach and intersectional lens, discuss proper documentation and best practices, learn about COVID-19’s impact on IPV, and more. The seminar was attended by doctors, nurses, health care providers, social workers, domestic violence advocates, and other allied professionals.

Stay tuned for the date and topic of the next seminar in the series, which will be announced here in the coming weeks! In the meantime, you can always request a training for your staff or agency through the trainings page on our site.

On March 5th, Jean-Michel Brevelle, Sexual Minorities Program Manager in the Center for HIV/STI Integration and Capacity of the Maryland Department of Health, presented very helpful information on the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV), HIV and STIs for an appreciative audience of IPV  advocates, health care providers, social workers and others at MedChi in Baltimore.

The seminar examined IPV dynamics for both same sex and opposite sex relationships, focusing on how abusers can use infection as an abuse tactic and a victim’s subsequent status as a means to manipulate and control survivors.He helped the group understand the health and emotional impact of HIV and STIs on survivors, and discussed how to assess and intervene in an empowering manner.