The National Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect folks are hosting a webinar September 12th at 2pm ET, The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study: Implications for Policy, Practice and Prevention. Objectives for the session include:
Category: Sexual Assault
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#NSAC13
If you aren’t in Los Angeles right now for the National Sexual Assault Conference, never fear–you can still follow a lot of the action via Twitter at #NSAC2013.
I am going to be doing a webinar on alcohol facilitated sexual assault with my colleague Jen Sommers for the Tribal Forensic Healthcare project. The session will be held September 25th from 3-4:30 pm ET. This will be very much geared toward clinicians, so the clinical care of these patients will be the primary focus. The session will be archived for those of you unable to attend the live webinar.
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Universal Access to HIV nPEP
IAFN, in conjunction with NSVRC, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, has released a position statement, Universal Access to Anti-HIV Medication. From the press release (PDF):
“The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV), and National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) released a policy statement today, recommending that systems be established to ensure that survivors of sexual assault have universal access to medications to prevent HIV following rape. In too many communities, access to these medications is lacking or inconsistent.”
Click on the link below to read the full position statement.
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Since Last We Spoke, 8/19/13
Last week officially began my Fall travel season. Through the week before Christmas, I will be on the road some portion of every week, save 3 (and one of those is Thanksgiving). So I have front-loaded my iPad with reading material (some of which has nothing to do with work), rotated the batteries in all of my electronic accessories (noise canceling headphones, remote for my laptop, etc.) and [big sigh] put my kiddo on a plane so she can get back to school. And in the midst of it all? Some fantastic projects, including our latest Sustainability course. Naturally much (but not all) of what I’ve been reading since last we spoke is focused on that:
In the course of doing this work, I come across a lot of expert opinions, given by both physicians and nurses. Some of those opinions are well reasoned and supported by current science and clinical experience. Some of those opinions fall into the category I formally call, “making some s*@t up”. Opinions delivered under the latter category aren’t necessarily delivered with the intent to deceive. A lot of times these opinions are simply based on what the professional believes should be true, rather than what research has affirmed.
One of my favorite military destinations is my annual trip to the Naval Justice School in Newport, RI. Never a bad place to go, but particularly lovely in August. So aside from getting to teach with one of my besties, I get the added benefit of the prime seaside location. Before I get on my plane, though, here’s a bit of what I’ve ben reading since last we spoke:
I tweeted this last week, but I’m not certain it was seen as widely as I think it should be so I’m devoting an entire post to this recent report out of Australia: The Role of Forensic Medical Evidence in the Prosecution of Adult Sexual Assault. I encourage you to read it–much of the discussion that’s been happening on this site and elsewhere is also evident in this publication, which I think is a must-read for any sexual assault clinicians. The analysis is extensive, but this statement from the conclusion is illustrative for sure:
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Since Last We Spoke, 8-5-13
This weekend was a work weekend, which isn’t a terrible thing when the work is really good. I spent most of my reading time focused on the business of what we do (for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that our 2nd sustainability course begins next week), but here’s some of the other stuff that I’ve been perusing since last we spoke:
Our Tribal Forensic Healthcare project has an upcoming peds webinar this month–Sexually Transmitted Infections in Pediatric Patients. The session will be held August 27th at 3pm ET. CEUs and CMEs have been applied for for this webinar.
Polaris Project’s National Human Trafficking Resource Center has a webcast available, Recognizing Human Trafficking Victim Experiences. The presentation is about 35 minutes long and is interspersed with case studies and linked resources. Access the session here.
Time once again for Articles of Note, in which I share the recently published literature that’s capturing my attention. Please remember this is not an exhaustive overview of what’s newly available, but it should give you a good place to start. There’s some amazing stuff out this month, so I think this list is a particularly rich one. Plus several familiar names among the authors, which is always fun.
The Guardian has a fascinating podcast on a significant emerging issue: violence against women on social media sites and through other forms of digital communication. It’s not something we discuss a whole lot in healthcare, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be. Harassment and bullying online are certainly not foreign to many of our sexual assault and domestic violence patients, so understanding prevalence and impact is an important part of enhancing your clinical capacity in this digital age.
{For US readers, if you’re interested in your state’s laws on cyberstalking and cyberharassment, you can find a state by state breakdown here.}
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The Language We Use
Kim Day (of SAFEta acclaim for the handful of folks who don’t already know her) and I were talking last week about the word “evidence” and our move away from it when we speak about the work we do. I liked what she was saying so much, I asked her to write a guest post, which she graciously did amid all her other projects. Thanks, Kim, for the thoughtful offering. I look forward to the continuing conversation on this topic:
Is there a greater luxury than a week at home? For some of us, the answer is a resounding no. So many odds and ends to work through, but that doesn’t stop me from letting my mind (and eyes) wander. Here’s some of what I’ve been reading since last we spoke:
NCVC is offering a webinar coming up next week: Developing a Welfare Response to Child Trafficking. The session will be held July 25th at 2pm ET. You can register here.
Mint Press News has a podcast now available, Rape on the Reservation: Sexual Assault in the Native American Community (not to be confused with the must-watch documentary report by Current TV with the same name). While it addresses sexual assault, it also looks at its intersection with human trafficking, and perspectives in the piece are those of survivors and professionals.
Home is a good place to be. Getting home from the Pacific is a slog, but it’s a journey I will happily take when it means getting back to my people. Plus it allows plenty of time for reading. Here’s what’s been capturing my attention since last we spoke:
The Tribal Forensic Healthcare project (full disclosure: I’m a consultant) is hosting a webinar July 18th at 3pm ET, Creating Bridges of Trust Through Cultural Competency in the Indian Healthcare Response to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Attendance will net you 1.5 CEUs (CMEs are also in the process of being obtained), free of charge, so this is an awesome opportunity for great training [Cordelia Clapp, RN, BSN is the featured speaker] AND credit hours for your recertification or licensure (or just general edification).
Just a quick note this morning: I have updated the clinical guide on using alternate light sources for identifying bruising. There’s still not much in the way of solid research on this one, so keep that in mind. But I am regularly asked about it as a tool, so look through what’s available. And if I’m missing anything critical, please let me know and I’ll add it.