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Text over video: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. IHS encourages tribal communities to reflect on what healthy relationships look like and take action to model positive behaviors.
Domestic violence in Indian country is pretty important because the rates are 
pretty high, it’s over 50 percent, and we need to do something about it
[Instrumental Music] Text over video: More than half of American Indian and Alaska Native women and two in five Native men have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner.
[Instrumental Music] Text over video: The IHS Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative funds 83 projects among tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations.  
[Instrumental Music] Text over video: The Initiative helps coordinate a community response that helps victims and survivors of domestic violence.
The community coordinated responses is where a number of services come together
for example, social service, schools, it could be law enforcement, providers, emergency 
departments, it could be counseling, it could be a
number of programs to come together and to really develop this coalition and
work with the program that we fund so that these services are available to
those that are in need. 
[Instrumental Music] Text over video: At Cass Lake Indian Hospital, Kathy McBride, a forensic health professional is trained to treat trauma and provide forensic medical care to victims of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or other forms of domestic violence.
Having nurses that are trained in sexual assault and domestic violence is really
helpful here at Cass Lake because people can stay in their own community to seek care
[Instrumental Music] Text over video:  The availability of forensic health care is a critical element of the IHS Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative.
One thing the domestic violence program has done here that I have noticed in my twenty
years here, the staff is a lot more comfortable with working with patients
that have had a traumatic event, violence in the home, or a sexual assault
so the providers are more comfortable
and that makes the patients more comfortable
[Instrumental Music] Text over video:  Since 2010, more than 45,000 referrals were made for domestic violence services, culturally-based services, and clinical behavioral health services by the Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative.
domestic violence and dating violence are not part of our culture they are not
our traditional ways and neither is it ever okay, everyone deserves a healthy relationship
[Instrumental Music] Text over video: If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-844-7Native. The StrongHearts Native Helpline is a safe domestic violence and dating violence helpline for American Indians and Alaska Natives. 
[Instrumental Music] www.ihs.gov
