Trauma-informed Healthcare Conference
Saturday, 7 December 2019
3W’s Pavilion, UWI, St. Michael
10am-5pm
The CDC statistics on abuse and violence in the United States are sobering. They report that one in four children experiences some sort of maltreatment (physical, sexual, or emotional abuse). One in four women has experienced domestic violence. In addition, one in five women and one in 71 men have experienced rape at some point in their lives — 12% of these women and 30% of these men were younger than 10 years old when they were raped. This means a very large number of people have experienced serious trauma at some point in their lives.
Medical exams by definition can feel invasive. They often involve asking sensitive questions, examining intimate body parts, and sometimes delivering uncomfortable — even painful — treatments. So, it is important that healthcare providers are mindful of the fact that so many people come to that healthcare interaction with a history of trauma.
“Trauma-informed care is defined as practices that promote a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing. A medical office or hospital can be a terrifying experience for someone who has experienced trauma, particularly for childhood sexual abuse survivors. The perceived power differential, being asked to remove clothing, and having invasive testing can remind someone of prior episodes of abuse. This can lead to anxiety about medical visits, flashbacks during the visit, or avoidance of medical care.”
This conference explores trauma-informed care and what it might look like in the healthcare setting. It is designed to assist the healthcare practitioner in being mindful of the patient’s (potential) past trauma and how this might affect the HCP-Patient interaction. Various types of mental and physical trauma will be explored and how this may affect disease burden.
The overall goal is for health care providers to recognize that many patients have a history of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, as well as serious illnesses and negative experiences in the medical setting, and to learn to respond with empathy and understanding.
Who should attend: all health care providers, social workers, trauma-workers
Guest Speakers:
- Rhonda Hutson, DM, MS, Consultant, University Hospital of the West Indies, Associate Lecturer and Clinical Coordinator, Emergency Medicine Division, UWI-Mona
- Listy Thomas, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, Netter School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University,Emergency Medicine Physician, St. Vincent’s Hospital
- Amber Kelly, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Quinnipiac University
- Pat Seale, Clinical Psychologist, Director BPW Emergency Shelter
- Others to be announced
Topics include:
- Trauma and violence
- Implementing trauma and violence informed approaches
- Models of emergency healthcare response and referral
- Weaving trauma informed care into the clinical skills
- Adverse childhood experiences
- Workshop: Imagining trauma-inform care in your context
- Impact on service provides – helping the helpers
- Intimate Partner Violence: Screening, Diagnosing and Reporting
- Local resources – police, social services, shelters, healthcare etc
Full programme to be announced
Registration:
www.hibiscushealthcaribbeanevents.eventbrite.com or hhccmeevents@gmail.com; 246-253-9384/ 269-683
Contribution: BDS$100 – general participants: BDS$ 50 – Students
Payment Locations:
A & B Music Supplies, Sheraton, Ch Ch
Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, St. Michael
Origin Boutique, Limegrove, St. James
Payment pick-up: 246-253-9384
Hibiscus Health Caribbean Inc. 