2019 Congressional Briefing: “Saving Lives: Addressing the Intersections between Opioid Use, Suicide, Trauma & Abuse” 

May 9, 2019 | 8:30am-9:45am | 2060 Rayburn House Building
*Breakfast will be served

 Follow this link to register: Register Now

Honorary Congressional Host Committee
Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Chris Stewart (R-UT), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Fred Upton (R-MI), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), and Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA)

Hear from experts and practitioner leaders in this field…

Violence is a major risk factor for suicidality and opioid use. Expert speakers will highlight how health care systems and trauma-informed care efforts are currently helping victims and how these changes can reduce future health costs. The panel will also explore the connections between these issues, including a focus on childhood trauma. Timely policy solutions related to the reauthorization efforts of the Violence Against Women Act’s Health Title and the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act will be offered.

  • Moderator: Jeanette M. Scheid, MD, PhD, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Incoming Chair, National Health Collaborative on Violence Abuse
  • Christopher Jones, DrPH, Senior Advisor and Director of Strategy and Innovation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Injury Center
  • Justice Dawn Beam, J.D., Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi and lead on Mississippi’s Family First Initiative
  • Jillian Gilchrest, MSW (D-CT), State Representative, and former Director of Health Professional Outreach for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  • 1 in 5 women have been raped in their lifetime, 1 in 4 women have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner, and 80% of victims experienced significant short and long-term chronic disease;
  • Children exposed to violence are more likely to exhibit behavioral and physical health problems such as depression, suicidal tendencies, and drug and alcohol abuse.
  • Lifetime per-victim cost of intimate partner violence was $103,767 for women victims with 59% going to medical costs. Public funding paid 37% of this total cost;
  • Victims are also at a higher risk for developing addictions to tobacco, alcohol, or drugs; for example, 31% to 67% of women in substance use disorder treatment programs report experiencing domestic violence within the past year.

Focused on finding solutions, the National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse (NHCVA) is comprised of more than 30 national professional health associations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and more. For additional information, please contact Sally Schaeffer, consultant, at sally@uncorkedadvocates.com.