Turning Point has seen a nearly 100 percent increase in non-fatal intimate partner violence strangulation exams in the past year
Media Contact: Lucie Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; lucie@eafocus.com; 248.925.6726; Denise Figurski, Turning Point, dfigurski@turningpointmacomb.org; 586.463.4430 Ext. 237
Mount Clemens, Mich. – October 15, 2024 – Turning Point, an agency whose mission is to empower survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking through comprehensive services and resources while advocating for community action to end oppression and violence, is again recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For this year’s efforts, the organization is turning its attention to intimate partner violence (IPV) non-fatal strangulation. Christina Boyland, Turning Point’s Administrator of Clinical Forensic Nursing Services, has seen a dramatic and frightening uptick in strangulation exams through Turning Point’s Forensic Nurse Examiner & First Response Advocacy Program.
“In looking over the past year of data for our exams, each of which take at least 2-3 hours to conduct and require specialized forensic nursing training, we have seen a 96.3% growth in intimate partner violence non-fatal strangulation,” Boyland noted. “Intimate partner violence that includes strangulation, even just one time, increases by 750% the likelihood that the abuse will result in homicide.”
Effects of non-fatal strangulation can include a loss of consciousness, seizures, loss of bladder and/or bowel control, neck pain/tenderness, memory problems, stroke and more. And although the prevalence of non-fatal strangulation is rising, the funding to support exams and medical training is not. There is no state or federal funding to support non-fatal strangulation exams. Turning Point received a grant in 2023 from Impact 100 Macomb County which has allowed it to continue to provide the time and skill-intensive exams, but that funding won’t extend beyond 2025.
Turning Point President and CEO, Sharman Davenport, Ph.D., cautions the public about the prevalence of domestic violence close to home.
“Whether you realize it or not, we all know someone who is a survivor of domestic violence.
In the United States, two in five women report being physically assaulted by an intimate partner, and of that number, 70% of these women are experiencing harm by strangulation and/or suffocation,” Davenport shared.
Area hospitals do not provide forensic exams, including rape kits and strangulation exams. They rely on Turning Point’s Forensic Nurse Examiner Program and First Response Advocates to conduct these exams.
Turning Point is doing what it can to educate the public on strangulation. Recently, it provided training on IPV non-fatal strangulation to 174 officers from the Macomb County Sheriff Office and 76 Macomb County Child Protective Services (CPS) and foster care workers. Participants learned the signs, symptoms, and lethality associated with non-fatal strangulation exams in the context of intimate partner relationships.
Turning Point’s free Forensic Nurse Examiner & First Response Advocacy are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide comprehensive medical forensic examinations and emotional support to adults, adolescents, and children who have experienced sexual assault, intimate partner strangulation, and/or human trafficking in Macomb County, St. Clair County, and surrounding areas. Services are available by contacting their 24-hour hotline at 586-463-6990.
About Turning Point
Turning Point provides free, confidential, inclusive, and accessible services to honor the unique needs, identities, and experiences of individuals who identify as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking for 44 years. Services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, legal advocacy, personal protection order support, forensic nurse and first response advocacy, prevention, and community education. In addition to these programs, Turning Point operates Second Hand Rose, a resale store that offers gently used merchandise to the community to support survivors and the agency’s mission. On average, Turning Point provides services to over 27,000 survivors and community members annually. Visit www.turningpointmacomb.org for more information.
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