Friendship Home Addresses Connection between Brain Injury and Domestic Violence

Friendship Home Addresses Connection between Brain Injury and Domestic Violence

Friendship Home’s (www.friendshiphome.org) Healthcare Navigator works with domestic violence survivors to access primary, reproductive, and behavioral healthcare. A collaborative project, Brain Injury and Domestic Violence: Making the Connection and Improving Care, studies the short-term and long-term impact brain injuries, from domestic violence, has on a victim’s overall health. The project is in partnership with Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Psychology, and Friendship Home’s Healthcare Navigator. In Nebraska, 58% of women undergoing brain injury screenings in shelters have screened positive for a possible brain injury; 91% of participants have been hit in the head or strangled.

At Friendship Home, victims are offered a brain injury screening when they enter shelter and a consultation with the Healthcare Navigator to review the results. Survivors are offered educational materials regarding brain injury, including additional assessments, individualized strategies, and group learning experiences, along with referrals to healthcare providers. Additional staff training develops a deeper understanding for the needs of individuals with brain injuries. If you are interested in learning more about Friendship Home’s Healthcare Navigator, please call (402) 437-9326.

Friendship Home provides crisis services, emergency shelter, and transitional housing to victims of domestic violence and their children. If you, or someone you know, are experiencing domestic violence, please call Friendship Home’s 24/7 crisis line at (402) 437-9302. To learn more, visit www.friendshiphome.org.