Medical studies link the long-term effects of domestic violence and abuse with a myriad of health problems, such as smoking, diabetes, obesity, eating disorders, and substance abuse. While doctors and nurses routinely ask about high blood pressure and high cholesterol, too few assess for domestic violence and its impact on health. Universal education provides an opportunity for clients to make the connection between violence, health problems, and risk behaviors. Through a brochure-based universal education approach clients seeking services in health care facilities or domestic violence programs can receive information about the impact of abuse on their health.

Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day is a nationally-recognized day that takes place annually on the second Wednesday of October. Sponsored by FUTURES, the awareness-raising day aims to reach members of the healthcare and advocacy communities to offer education about the critical importance of universal education to promote healthy relationships, address the health impact of abuse and offer warm referrals to domestic violence advocates.

Planning ahead? The 23rd annual HCADV Day will be held: October 12th, 2022. This year, we will be centering reproductive health and justice. We offer a number of resources to help you organize events and activities on and beyond HCADV Day in our Action Kit featuring planning tips and social media tools. We encourage you to be creative! For this year’s focus, take a look at our reproductive & sexual health resources.

Reproductive Justice is Survivor Justice: Bodily Autonomy, Health, and Safety Panel

Wednesday, October 12th at 10am PT/11am MT/12pm CT/1pm ET – 90 Minutes

Want to stay connected? Sign up for our Health mailing list, to be the first to hear about HCADV Day and other Health-related updates, be sure to check the box before “Health” under: “I’d like to receive more information about the following topics”.

For questions about the National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, organizing local events, or to talk through your ideas, contact health@futureswithoutviolence.org and include “HCADV Day” in the subject line.