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For immediate release:  June 11 , 2007 (Clyde, NC)

HRMC Emergency Room Physician Proactive about Domestic Violence

Lisa Crowe, an abuse specialist with REACH of Haywood County, was on the first day of her new job when she received an after hours hotline call from Michael Jaffe, M.D., Emergency Department Physician at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 

“He told me that they had a woman in the Emergency Room who had been beaten up by her husband and asked if I’d come see her,” Crowe said.  “Dr. Jaffe was concerned that she didn’t have a safe place to go. “

Crowe said when she got to HRMC and spoke with the patient, she discovered that the woman wasn’t even aware that outside help had been called. “She seemed relieved,” Crowe said. “The woman was in her early 40s and this had been an ongoing situation for some time. It was nice for her to know that she had options.”

Calling Dr. Jaffe “proactive” for taking such measures, Crowe, a probation officer for 15 years before becoming a domestic abuse specialist said “I was most impressed with him. Many ER doctors I’ve worked with over the years are not as open to initiating such measures. I’ve even been back to the ER since then and he’s continued to follow up with me regarding how the woman and her children are doing now.”

Dr. Jaffe recollected the busy evening in the HRMC Emergency Department when the woman appeared for care with bruising around her neck, torso and arms. “She told me that she hadn’t reported being hit by her husband because he’d threatened to kill her and bury her where no one would find her. The situation was definitely out of her hands and beyond her control.”  

“I see things like this too much in our community,” he said. “These situations come up every few months. In addition there are also times where women don’t admit to being abused at all because their husband is actually there in the ED with them and we have to take more assertive steps towards assuring they get care.”      

According to Julia Freeman, Executive Director of REACH, the organization took 2,265 crisis calls and provided 2,020 shelter nights for 109 victims of domestic abuse in 2006. “Our main goal is to educate the public about services available to victims,” she said. “Subsequently, we also educate people about the signs of violence and safety planning.”  

Jaffe noted that he wouldn’t have been aware of the organization at all if HRMC nurses hadn’t done such a good job of educating him about REACH during prior incidents. 

“It was great having them as a resource to call,” he said. “And it’s important for people to know that there’s support available and that there’s no reason to remain in a domestic situation that’s unsafe and abusive. The important thing is being honest, asking for help and realizing that there are multiple choices and options.” 

“It’s satisfying to know that we worked together to make a difference in the life of this woman and her children,” he said.  “For me, personally, it’s satisfying to know that she’s out of a bad situation now and she’s undergone positive life changes.  I wish we could have such good things to say about all situations that occur like this, but all we can do is work as a team and hope for the best.”

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