[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 164 (Monday, October 31, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6919-S6923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. HAGAN:
  S. 1765. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide 
grants to strengthen the healthcare system's response to domestic 
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. HAGAN. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce the Violence 
Against Women Health Initiative. October is Domestic Violence Awareness 
month, and this bill will raise awareness of domestic violence among 
health care providers and allow them to better assess and treat 
survivors of domestic violence.
  The rates of violence and abuse in this country are astounding. 
Nearly one in four women in the U.S. has reported experiencing domestic 
violence at some point in her life. In 2007, there were 248,300 
reported incidents of sexual assault in the U.S. Young women experience 
the highest rates of sexual assault and stalking. Sadly, 15.5 million 
children in the U.S. live in families in which partner violence has 
occurred in the past year, and 7 million children live in families in 
which severe partner violence has occurred.
  Domestic violence has a significant impact on our country's health. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, 
intimate partner violence costs the health care system over $8.3 
billion annually.
  In addition to injuries sustained during violent episodes, survivors 
suffer lifelong health complications. Research published in the journal 
of Women's Health in 2007 found that women who are victimized by 
violence have 17 percent more primary care doctor visits, 14 percent 
more specialist visits, and 27 percent more prescription refills than 
non-abused women.
  Physical and psychological abuse are linked to a number of adverse 
physical health effects. A study released in 2010 that compared victims 
with never-abused women found abuse victims had an approximately six-
fold increase in clinically-identified substance abuse, a more than 
three-fold increase in depression diagnoses, a three-fold increase in 
sexually transmitted diseases, and a two-fold increase in lacerations.
  But it is not just the spouse who suffers these lifelong 
consequences. It is their children, too. Children who witness domestic 
violence are more likely to exhibit behavioral and physical health 
problems, including depression, anxiety, and violence towards peers. 
They are also more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, 
run away from home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit sexual 
assault crimes. Fifty percent of men who frequently assault their wives 
also frequently assault their children, and the U.S. Advisory Board on 
Child Abuse and Neglect suggests that domestic violence may be the 
single major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities in this 
country.
  Without question, we must tackle the underlying causes of domestic 
violence and abuse in this country. At the same time, we must 
strengthen our health care response to this abuse.
  Despite the commitment of health care providers to help domestic 
violence victims, a critical gap remains in the delivery of health care 
to victims. Health care providers often only address immediate 
injuries, without tackling the underlying cause of those injuries. For 
example, each year, about 324,000 pregnant women in this country are 
battered by their intimate partners. However, few physicians screen 
pregnant patients for abuse. This highlights the need to ensure that 
health care providers have the necessary training and support in order 
to assess, refer, and support victims of domestic and sexual violence.

[[Page S6923]]

  Victims know and trust their health care providers. Almost 3/4 of 
survivors say that they would like their health care providers to ask 
them about violence and abuse.
  Multiple clinical studies have shown that short interventions in the 
medical environment protect the health and safety of women. These 
interventions are short between 2 and 10 minutes, and effective. In 
repeated clinical trials, violence decreased and health status improved 
following simple assessment and referral protocols. Integrating these 
effective protocols into our health care system will save lives.
  This is why routine assessments for intimate partner violence have 
been recommended for health care settings by the American Medical 
Association, American Psychological Association, American Nurses 
Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 
American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Joint Commission on the 
Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.
  Since its passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, has 
transformed our criminal justice system and social service system, 
helping to prevent and respond to domestic violence. The last 
reauthorization of VAWA, set to expire this year, included a new title 
authorizing three programs that support the health system's efforts to 
help victims, preventing further abuse and improving the health status 
of women. The bill I am introducing today will continue those important 
efforts.
  This bill would consolidate the three existing health programs into 
one program, while increasing evaluation and accountability. 
Specifically, this bill would foster public health responses to 
intimate partner violence and sexual violence; provide training and 
education of health professionals to respond to violence and abuse; and 
support research on effective public health approaches to end violence 
against women.
  I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this important bill.
                                 ______