OVC TTAC has a webinar coming up as part of their SANE Program Development and Operation Web Training Series, How to Expand an Existing SANE Program. The session will be held September 18th at 2pm ET. Not a ton of info about the content: Learn about the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of expanding SANE programs to include forensic nursing care for additional patient populations, and how to expand your program. The session will likely take into account this section from the SANE Program Development and Operation Guide. Register here.
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Since Last We Spoke, 7-31-17
I’m working from CLE for the next couple weeks, so lots of family/kid time. It also means (ideally) plenty of time for writing projects that keep being pushed back. If I can focus. And stay off the interwebs. Traveling back from PDX last week I had plenty of time on airplanes to surf, so here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
RV full of lawyers. Too cool.
Interesting article on the history of disguising gender in the military
{Tangentially} related.
If you read nothing else on this list
Love, love
A fine question
Don’t settle
OVC TTAC has a webinar coming up as part of their SANE Program Development and Operation Web Training Series, SANE Program Development and Operation: An Introduction. Not surprisingly, it’s based on the document of essentially the same name. The session will be held August 14th at 2pm ET. Limited descriptor available: Take a look at the new SANE Guide, get an overview of the foundations used to create the guide, and find information on building a sustainable SANE program using a strong nursing foundation to support the SANE role. Register here.
The CDC looked at the issue of homicides in adult women in last week’s MMWR: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Homicides of Adult Women and the Role of Intimate Partner Violence–United States, 2003-2014. I don’t think it requires any explanation, nor do I think it will contain too many surprises. You may have seen press reports on it last week (alternatively). It’s as bleak as you probably expected. It’s also a must read, because although it’s brief, it raises critical discussion points for practice.
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Since Last We Spoke, 7-24-17
So we had a super lively discussion today with our friends over at DCFNE, which made for one of the better Mondays I’ve had in a while. Tomorrow it’s off to Portland (OR) for some quality time with the Army JAG Corps, so that’s always a fun gig. Plus, you know–Portland. It was my kiddo’s last weekend in town, so I drowned my sorrows last night in mindless interwebs. Still, there were a few things worth passing along. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
Cancer is not a war. Seriously.
Guidelines from WHO around HIV resistance
Man, I hate if this is true
Also, sigh.
Guess I’m not surprised
Disappointing (also, come on, DoD)
I believe the last count I saw put this number higher
Just an alert that the clinical guide that addresses alternate light source use and subclinical bruising has been updated with additional research. So here’s your periodic reminder that ALS to identify subclinical bruising in strangulation patients does not have the evidence yet to support its use. There continue to be issues, particularly related to specificity.
So I recently received a comment that my concern about forensic nurses’ social media use is “overblown”, which I confess, made me giggle. It’s not, of course, and my own experiences doing this work have only made it clearer as social media becomes more and more entrenched in our daily lives. But if anyone needs evidence that your social media feeds will be parsed apart (even the ones you believe are “private”) and may be brought up at trial, look no further than expert testimony from the Cosby trial last month: I suggest you check out this, this, this, or even this.
As someone whose whole life is on social media (basically), I am not suggesting you avoid it, but keep in mind that at any time you may have to answer for what’s there (including things you “like”, or are tagged in, and not just stuff you post). And program managers and trainers, if you aren’t providing education on this topic, I would encourage you to fold it in. I am neither seeing, nor hearing about widespread discussion on this topic, and the concerns and potential problems aren’t going to lessen anytime soon.
To make it easier, I have created a new clinical guide on the subject. Hope this helps move the conversation forward.
If you didn’t listen to the NPR program 1A on Monday, you missed a good conversation on campus sexual assault. While it had its eye rolling moments, in general, it was a worthwhile listen. If it’s a topical interest of yours (and I think it’s helpful to understand the processes that occur on campus following a sexual assault report), you can hear the entire conversation here.
NCALL has published an impressive multimedia toolkit, Working with Older Survivors of Abuse: A Framework for Advocates. DO NOT let the 2nd half of that title keep you from doing the deep dive into this resource–1.) there’s healthcare-specific information (although it’s briefer than I’d like); and 2.) seriously, I do not want to have to convince anyone that our colleagues in other disciplines have some wisdom to share with us. My very favorite part of all of this is the Summary Report with Captioned Videos (PDF), which provides links to video clips peppered throughout the document on discrete topics, like safety planning and mandatory reporting. There’s a lot to wade through (I haven’t finished going through the whole thing yet), but make the time. And share with your MDTs and SARTs, because there’s some community response/policy content that is worth the broader discussion. BTW, this is not just about elder abuse, but working with older survivors of many different crimes, so if you’re thinking to yourself, this doesn’t apply because we don’t do elder abuse in our program, you would be incorrect. This is a resource for any forensic clinician caring for older patients in their practice (so essentially anyone who doesn’t have a peds-specific program).
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Since Last We Spoke, 7-17-17
So about last week–what a fantastic crew we had at the NAC for our testimony workshop. I had a great time meeting so many new colleagues, and participants were really on point. A very impressive group (and thanks for all the new subscriptions, folks–please remember to verify your email via the Feedburner link you should have received, which went to your spam folder if you didn’t see it). Of course, you may have noticed I was MIA from the site after Monday’s post–it really is too much to keep up with everything during that course, so FHO was quiet for the week. However, I had plenty of time to surf these weekend, being in airports and such. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
I had to giggle at the title of this–do we use The Clap anymore?
Another day, another story like this…
This is a long, but good read about addiction and lawyers
Sigh.
Oh, hell no, American Airlines
If you didn’t catch the piece on SANEs, read about it here (also embedded audio)
Finally, in movie news, two upcoming releases I can’t wait to see– Incredibles 2 and a Wrinkle in Time:
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Since Last We Spoke, 7-10-17
I’ll be at the NAC most of the week, so postings may be spotty. Hopefully, you caught the updates to a couple clinical guides (and I’m taking suggestions for new ones). We had a pretty social weekend here, so I was unplugged for much of it. But here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
There will always be more work
I can’t even wrap my head around this posture
How Medicaid helps trafficking victims
Love this
Apparently, North Carolina has some work to do
This whole piece was fascinating
For all my nonprofit peeps
Important reminder that we are only a small sliver of the response to trauma victims–and that much work will keep happening long after our involvement
As we head into one of my favorite weeks of the year (the testimony course at the NAC–can’t wait to see some of my FHO readers there!), I’ve updated a couple of the most popular clinical guides: Testimony and Peer Review. Enjoy!
As the Chair of IAFN’s Government Affairs Committee, one of my favorite opportunities is being on the Hill, talking with legislators and staffers about the issues important to clinicians, our patients, and the profession in general. This year’s Lobby Day saw its biggest draw (thanks, in part, to the inaugural Leadership Day that preceded it), so I know I’m not alone in enjoying the process. However, we have fielded questions about lobbying for people who work for nonprofit agencies and/or receive federal grant dollars, and saw a few people not come because of concerns. So I was really pleased to see VAWnet has a new special collection on legislative advocacy for nonprofit organizations that target these specific issues. If you are considering joining us for the 2018 Leadership and Lobby Days here in DC (dates to be announced), or thinking about participating in another lobbying opportunity, I would encourage you to check out the information to make sure you (and your organization’s leadership) understand the left and right limits of your advocacy.
The Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center has a webinar coming up, Addressing the Impact of Trauma When a Mass Violence Incident Occurs. The session will be held July 26th at 2pm ET. From the announcement:
Incidents of mass violence and terrorism present unique challenges to the communities in which they occur. These incidents require a coordinated, cross-sector approach among federal, state, local, and tribal governments; private entities; and nonprofit organizations to drive an effective response. This session will address how to create and maintain partnerships, address resource gaps, develop victim assistance protocols, and use the protocols after an incident of mass violence or terrorism.
Register here.
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Since Last We Spoke, 7-3-17
Hope all of my Canadian readers had a lovely Canada Day; and a happy 4th to US FHO readers! We will be eating (and drinking) with our Army friends and possibly finishing the evening watching fireworks on the docks where our neighbors keep their sailboat. While today was meant to be a work day, turns out, not so much. But I did spend time surfing the web; here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
The voices of genderqueer and nonbinary survivors
The title of this article could be enough
Marine Corps, trying to find a way past their toxic masculinity issues
Save free speech from the trolls
You know I love me a good packing guide
I can’t recall why I initially clicked on this, but I”m glad I did
Thinking about all the 1st responders in the Bronx last week
Related: no surprise his past includes violence against women
#Seriously (aka, the view from DC right now)
Bookmarked for my nights on the road when jetlag is kicking my ass
The Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention is hosting a webinar next month, Medical Imaging Protocols. The session will be held July 10th at 1pm ET. From the announcement:
This webinar features the Medical Advisory Board of the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, recognized as the leading experts in the field on non-fatal strangulation. These experts will be discussing new imaging recommendations they have developed and released for Emergency Room professionals.
Register here.
I don’t often give mainstream media articles their own post (we wait for Mondays to do that), but 1.) this one is worth it, and 2.) I will be stepping away from FHO until next Thursday, as I take the girlchild on her 1st round of college visits (!). Huffington Post has a terrific article on police-perpetrated intimate partner violence that, while a long read, is definitely worth your time. I encourage you to spend some time with it and consider how your own programs handle patients who present after being assaulted by law enforcement. I’m proud to say in my former program, we had a very specific process for working with this particular patient group that included a unique law enforcement reporting pathway and 2 person team completing the exam (as these cases were always complex and the extra set of eyes and hands was welcomed). The whole piece is a great jumping off point for a team discussion. Even if you only provide sexual assault care, there’s still a conversation to be had about the unique needs and concerns of patients who present after police-perpetrated violence.
Time once again for Articles of Note, our (mostly) monthly frolic through the peer reviewed literature. Lots of stuff for our peds practitioners this go round. A few full-text options available, as well, so keep your eyes open for those. As always there’s a Word doc with active links, and a PDF for ease of printing and sharing. Also as always, please provide attribution if you decide to use or disseminate (and by that, since someone asked, I mean please don’t take my name out of the header, that sort of thing). Enjoy!
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The National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families published a guide this spring, Developing Culturally Responsive Approaches to Serving Diverse Populations: A Resource Guide for Community-Based Organizations (PDF). There’s a lot packed into this relatively brief resource; the active links alone are worth downloading it, regardless of the setting in which you work. As you consider how to best serve all members of the community, this guide can move you closer to your goals.
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Since Last We Spoke, 6-19-17
This weekend was a whirlwind of family–my parents were in town, my kid got here for the summer, and my Aunt and Uncle celebrated 50 years of marriage–so I was entirely consumed with lovely things. Last night, after the dust had settled, I had a chance to see what was happening in the world, and catch up with my social media feeds. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
I testified on the Hill on Friday in front of the Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence. You can see the full proceedings here. I look *very* serious; also my folks and kid are visible in the background 🙂
Cosby mistrial: NSVRC’s statement
Also: I believe Cosby
And: what it tells us about power in America
The stories we tell, and the stories we don’t
So here we are: America, 2017
Out of darkness, a glimmer of something lovely
Pray for peace for her family
Father’s Day–not everyone is so lucky
Anne Lamott is my spirit animal: