Los Angeles, July 25 – Los Angeles General Medical Center, East Los Angeles Women’s Shelter (ELAWC), and Leadership Council for Domestic Violence & Health Care (DVHC) are pleased to announce their collaborative effort in hosting a Domestic Violence Listening Session to advance awareness and consider solutions for domestic violence in health care settings across Los Angeles County. This crucial session aims to shed light on the critical issues surrounding domestic violence and create a safe space for survivors and community members to share their experiences, concerns, and questions.

Domestic violence remains a pressing societal issue, affecting individuals of all backgrounds and demographics. It impacts more than 12 million Americans annually (1 in 3 women during her lifetime) and disproportionately affects young, low-income women of color.

Barbara Kappos, Executive Director of ELAWC states, “The listening session will help bridge a critical gap in the delivery of comprehensive health care for women by bringing together health care leaders, domestic violence agencies, community based organizations, and survivors with lived experience to explore options to improve access to care and ongoing support for survivors, and to help identify concrete strategies, gaps, and barriers to care, to inform systems change across Los Angeles County.”

Panelists include:

• Susie Baldwin, MD, MPH, FACPM, Medical Director, Office of Women’s Health Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
• Daniel Briones, MSN, FNP-BC, Clinical Nursing Supervisor, Los Angeles Medical Center
• Emily C. Dossett, MD, MTS, Director, Reproductive Mental Health Program, Los Angeles Medical Center, Associate Clinical Professor, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Departments of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, and Obstetrics / Gynecology
• Elena Gonzalez, MSW, Clinical Program Manager, East Los Angeles Women’s Center
• Todd Schneberk, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Faculty Co-Director of the USC Keck Human Rights Collaborative and Director of the Gehr Center Student Innovators Program

The free event will be held July 26^th from 10:00am to 1:00pm at Los Angeles General Medical Center, 2051 Marengo St., LA CA 90033 and includes a networking luncheon.

Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. To register visit bit.ly/listendistrict1 or contact Ruth Rivera at rrivera@elawc.org for more information.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER

Los Angeles General Medical Center is an over 600-bed, Level One Trauma Center and an academic teaching hospital run by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS). Through affiliation with the Keck School of Medicine of USC, LA General is one of the premier training sites for intern and resident physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education. LA General Medical Center operates special units that serve patients across the Southern California region, including a Burn Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Psychiatric and Pediatric Emergency Rooms. LA General offers outpatient services to victims of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse, and to children in foster care. The Medical Center campus is also the home to a nonprofit organization, The Wellness Center, which provides a range of programs for community residents. Who We Are – LA General Medical Center (lacounty.gov)

ABOUT THE EAST LOS ANGELES WOMEN’S CENTER

The East Los Angeles Women’s Center (ELAWC) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to ensuring all women, girls and their families live in a place of safety, health, personal well-being, and free from violence and abuse. www.elawc.org

ABOUT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & HEALTH CARE

Self-organized in 2017, the Leadership Council for Domestic Violence & Health Care is a network of leading health and domestic violence service providers in Los Angeles working together to promote cross-sector collaboration to strengthen services and support for survivors and break the cycle of domestic violence in Los Angeles County. Through cross-training, trauma-informed responses, warm referrals and new policies, intentional partnerships change systems to provide comprehensive coordinated care, supporting survivor health and preventing violence in unprecedented ways. The Leadership Council is funded by Blue Shield of California Foundation and collaborates with the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council Health Committee, under the Department of Public Health.  www.dvhcla.org