National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1‑800‑799‑SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788 (US) or use local emergency services if you’re in immediate danger.
- Client Materials - https://ofs.nashville.gov/client-materials/ This includes local and state contact information, but it also includes a library of every material we have created for survivors and loved ones
- https://ofs.nashville.gov/get-to-know-us/what-we-do/training-and-outreach/ this includes all of our training tools and information to access on demand resources
- https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/helping-others/doctors-and-health-care-workers additional resources specifically for healthcare providers
HARK Scale - https://cde.nlm.nih.gov/formView?tinyId=Xk5t0lqFz
WEB Screening - https://dbhds.virginia.gov/library/mental%20health%20services/scrn-pw-web.pdf
Key Takeaways
Interpersonal violence is pervasive and multifaceted—multiple forms often coexist in a single survivor's experience, requiring providers to look beyond physical injuries and ask about isolation, control, and reproductive coercion.
Healthcare settings offer unique opportunities for early intervention because survivors frequently seek care for pregnancy, injuries, or health complications without formally reporting abuse to law enforcement.
Effective screening requires normalizing conversations about safety for all patients using routine, non-judgmental language and ensuring privacy by speaking with patients alone, without partners or untrained interpreters present.
Providers need not be domestic violence experts—their role is to create safe space, listen without judgment, validate experiences, and make warm referrals to specialized local and national resources.
Breaking isolation is one of the most powerful interventions; simply letting someone know they are believed, not alone, and that support exists can diminish an abuser's control and plant seeds for future safety planning.
Quotable Moments
"Interpersonal violence can take a variety of forms. They can include domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking. I think one of the most important things to understand is that these forms of violence don't necessarily happen in isolation."
"Pregnancy can be a particularly vulnerable time for someone experiencing intimate partner violence. Abuse may begin during pregnancy or an existing pattern of abuse may escalate."
"Healthcare settings are often one of the few places where survivors have an opportunity to speak with someone privately and to access support that is confidential."
"Our goal isn't for you to be a domestic violence or interpersonal violence expert. It's not even for you to get someone to disclose abuse during a particular appointment. It's really about creating an environment where patients feel safe and supported."
"Just planting that seed, opening that door, letting someone know that we're there."
No content or comments made in any TIPQC Healthy Mom Healthy Baby Podcast is intended to be comprehensive or medical advice. Neither healthcare providers nor patients should rely on TIPQC’s Podcasts in determining the best practices for any particular patient. Additionally, standards and practices in medicine change as new information and data become available and the individual medical professional should consult a variety of sources in making clinical decisions for individual patients. TIPQC undertakes no duty to update or revise any particular Podcast. It is the responsibility of the treating physician or health care professional, relying on independent experience and knowledge of the patient, to determine appropriate treatment.
