Pilot program will screen domestic violence survivors for TBIs when they enter shelters

By Malayka Gormally. This article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.

A first-of-its-kind pilot program will screen 420 domestic violence survivors for “traumatic brain injuries and concussions” as they enter seven emergency safehouses and shelters run by Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA-GNY). According to an article in Politico by Shannon Young, the screening will include questions “about past injuries they’ve sustained and symptoms associated with traumatic brain injuries and concussions.” Those deemed likely to have these conditions “will be connected with Northwell Health’s Concussion Program” for diagnosis and treatment.

Another element of the pilot program is collecting data for a formal study. Common TBI symptoms such as confusion and dizziness can make a survivor appear to be lying, for example, when reporting an assault to the police. The goal is that the “findings will help shift the conversation surrounding domestic violence so that survivors, who are often minority women, and those with whom they interact — particularly in law enforcement and the judicial system — understand the effects of traumatic brain injuries.” 

The goal is to make New York state the first state to “make a formal process on how to treat domestic violence survivors as they come into the system.”