MEMBER NEWS

METROPOLITAN FAMILY VIOLENCE COALITION'S BRIDGESPAN PROGRAM RECEIVES $300,000 GRANT FROM HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION OF GREATER KANSAS CITY

Overland Park, Kan., September 14, 2011 – The Metropolitan Family Violence Coalition’s BridgeSPAN
(Safe Patient Advocacy Network) Program received a $300,000 grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City. BridgeSPAN is a collaborative domestic violence medical advocacy program among five of the area’s seven shelters: SAFEHOME, Hope House, Friends of Yates, Rose Brooks Center and Synergy Services.

BridgeSPAN offers on-site advocacy support, safety planning and access to ongoing domestic violence services in 47 hospitals and clinics throughout the metropolitan area.

“We are thrilled with the support Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City is extending to the BridgeSPAN program” SAFEHOME Executive Director Sharon Katz said. “This generous grant will allow domestic violence agencies in the metro to continue offering much needed services in nearly 50 hospitals and clinics.”

Through this grant, the MFVC anticipates serving 1,700 patients and training 10,000 medical professionals. Program enhancements include:

1.  Implementing a 2-5 year strategic plan to serve survivors with disabilities

2.  Preventing domestic violence homicides and re-assault by evaluating the lethality assessment program

3.  Standardizing cultural competency efforts

4.  Conducting an independent program evaluation

About Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City: The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City provides leadership, advocacy and resources that eliminate barriers to quality health for the uninsured and underserved in Kansas City, Mo., Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri and Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. Since it began grantmaking in 2005, Health Care Foundation has awarded more than $90 million to agencies addressing health needs in the community. For more information, visit www.healthcare4kc.org.

About SAFEHOME: For 31 years, SAFEHOME has been saving lives. Since its incorporation as a not-for-profit agency in 1980, SAFEHOME has grown from a network of “safe homes” in the community to a 45-bed shelter and comprehensive service provider for victims of domestic violence. Services include: safe shelter, 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, child care, school and community education programs, Johnson County District Court and hospital advocacy, and civil legal assistance. All services are free and confidential. In 2010, SAFEHOME assisted more than 6,400 survivors of domestic violence. For more information, visit www.safehome-ks.org.

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