NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — Violence is not just a criminal issue, it’s a public health one as well.
And to fix this in North Dakota and beyond, medical institutions have to get involved in the solution.

CHI Saint Alexius has a ND Violence Prevention Program. The goal is to reduce intimate partner violence in the communities CHI serves. Right now, North Dakota details that our state’s law enforcement serves about 5000 victims of domestic violence every year.
The national Office of Justice Programs wants to push other hospitals and centers to do the same, like CHI Saint Alexius.

“Ultimately, our goal is to build a robust public safety infrastructure that unites leaders in the community, leaders in city hall and law enforcement around a shared goal of saving lives,” said Amy Solomon, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ.

There are ways organizations, hospitals and community centers can help prevent domestic violence. According to CHI St. Alexius, change requires increasing awareness of intimate partner violence. Tell people the numbers and statistics. The importance of enhancing referral networks to provide people with the resources they need, like doctors or crisis lines. Also, training professionals to incorporate intimate partner violence prevention and intervention into their existing work.

“They are using that expertise and that credibility to engage with the highest risk individuals in communities, and we know that that is helping lower the risk of violence,” said Solomon.

Some resources provided by CHI Saint Alexius include providing lists of crisis centers and temporary housing across the state and numbers for families in trouble to call.
All this information can be found here.