Establishing a Nursing Presence within a Community-Based Domestic Violence Program

Abstract

Community-based domestic violence centers provide an array of services, tailored to meet the multiple needs of victims and their families: counseling, safe shelter, legal aid, and social services. One community-based center observed another unmet need among its clients: the essential need for a client and his or her family to achieve and maintain optimal levels of health and well-being. Collaborating with other community providers, a committee was created and charged with developing a health program that would address the need for case management, health education, and advocacy. This article chronicles the work of this organization in developing provider partnerships and support for integration of a nursing presence in this nontraditional practice setting. A case scenario is provided to demonstrate the complexity of a domestic violence victim’s needs and to illustrate how an advance practice registered nurse or extensively experienced and skilled baccalaureate-prepared registered nurse is well suited for this role.

Keywords

advance practice nurse collaboration community health nurse cultural competence domestic violence intimate partner violence

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References

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