Skip to contents
In This Issue:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
At a time when many women can feel as if their lives are falling to pieces, Passageway, a domestic violence intervention program at BWH, offers a way to help individuals mend their wounds and thread together a network of support. The tools they use are conversation, counseling, compassion and a few swatches of fabric. The end results are empowerment, friendship, and a circle of trust. While piecing together this network of support, the women are also busy sewing together squares of fabric. Through this activity, their courageous voices are transferred onto pieces of a quilt. This quilt, which continues to grow, serves as a reminder of strength and unity. Women like Jacqueline, whose story follows, are living symbols of the quilt’s powerful message.
Jaqueline’s Story
Jacqueline received consistent prenatal care at BWH and when she was in her eighth month of pregnancy, her nurse practitioner screened her for abuse. Jacqueline explained that she was fearful of her former partner. Her abusive partner continued to call her and threatened to come to the hospital when she delivered the baby. “I thought I could take care of myself, but I was really afraid of what he would do to the baby,” said Jacqueline.
After talking with an OB social worker, Jacqueline was referred to Passageway where she met with an advocate. Together, they went to court to obtain a restraining order. The next day, Jacqueline delivered a healthy baby girl. Jacqueline worked with her providers, BWH Security and her Passageway advocate to make sure that she and her baby were safe in the hospital.
Now, two years later, Jacqueline is employed full time, living in a new apartment and has recently enrolled in school again. She checks in with her advocate every few months. “I know I’m doing okay, and that I can always call my advocate and she’s there for me,” she said.
Women like Jacqueline are often isolated and unaware of the support available to them. At BWH, Passageway offers support groups that bring women together and provide a forum for mutual aid and healing. By participating in group discussions and activities, such as the quilt project, women are able to find resolve, acknowledge their survival and fortify connections with each other.
In addition to support groups, Passageway offers free and confidential services for BWH patients and employees, including advocacy, training, education, community linkage and evaluation. For more information, call ext. 2-8753.
Throughout the month of October, Passageway will be displaying posters and setting up information tables outside the Cafeteria to increase awareness of domestic violence within the BWH Community.