University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson is learning from tragedy.
Two years ago, two employees at the organization died just months apart in what the hospital described as domestic violence incidents, according to a Baltimore Sun report.
Now, St. Joseph is teaching employees how to identify and prevent domestic violence among its workforce of 2,700, thereport states.
Michele McKee, BSN, RN, a nursing supervisor who was among the first managers to go through training, told the Baltimore Sun some workers knew something was not quite right with one of the employees killed, but they never shared their suspicions with a supervisor, and the woman didn't receive official help.
That did not come as shock to Ms. McKee, given the personal nature of the issue.
But Ms. McKee told the Baltimore Sun the training should help hospital staff and their managers understand how to start a conversation with someone who may be a domestic violence victim, and who they should contact, both inside and outside the hospital, for help.
The St. Joseph program is a result of a collaboration with House of Ruth Maryland, a shelter for battered women and their children, and Futures Without Violence, a national nonprofit group that develops community-based programs to address domestic violence, according to the report. Sandi Timmins, executive director of House of Ruth Maryland, told the Baltimore Sun her organization is ready to introduce the program to other hospitals.
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