News

Contact: Lauren Brendel, M.S.

One in five members of our community will experience intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime. To help address this epidemic in our community, Bozeman Health and HAVEN have spent the last 18 months forming a coalition of community organizations and agencies throughout the region to provide education and awareness of interpersonal violence. In recognition of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, HAVEN and Bozeman Health are pleased to announce a symposium scheduled for Thursday, January 30, 2020, entitled Relationship Violence: Recognize, Respond, Resource.

The symposium was developed when key community partners identified the need to educate health care providers, first responders, resource agencies, and the general public on the signs of interpersonal violence and how to support survivors they might encounter.

“We’ve learned so much from each other and from our collaborative organizations and agencies on the discrepancies that exist in understanding and recognizing signs of interpersonal violence and how to best help people in those situations,” stated Birgen Knoff, Bozeman Health system director of clinical practice and behavioral health. “It is our hope that this symposium will shed a light on the nuances of interpersonal violence and help our community become strong in saying this is not okay.”

“Domestic and sexual violence are community issues,” said Erica Aytes Coyle, Executive Director of HAVEN. “It has been so inspiring to be part of a community response to violence that has included everyone from law enforcement, to healthcare providers, to advocates. It feels like a giant leap in the right direction towards addressing and preventing domestic violence right here in the Gallatin Valley.”

Those interested in attending the Interpersonal Violence Awareness Symposium on January 30, 2020 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the GranTree in Bozeman may register here: http://bit.ly/DVSymposium