As part of the Behavioral Health focus for the AFN, I wanted to announce/reinforce with group members that annually October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and this year October 14, 2020 is the National Domestic Violence Awareness Day! Wear purple on 10/14/2020 to signify to all that we as forensic nurses stand together for protection of those who are victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence includes not only intimate partner violence (IPV) but also child and elder abuse, including physical and mental/emotional abuse. Domestic violence affects persons in all socioeconomic and educational backgrounds and persons from all races/creeds/religions, marital statuses, physical ability/disabilities, ages, sex/genders and sexual orientations. We as forensic nurses owe a duty to our patients to screen for domestic violence and have resource information ready to give to victims who present to us in our practice.
For more information or more ways to get involved and educate your community/patients/fellow staff members, visit https://www.dvawareness.org/about-dv for up-to-date resources.