|

Prince George's Co. hospital receives $800K to help trafficking victims – WTOP News

Maryland's second busiest trauma center is receiving federal funding to help identify and aid victims of sex and .

The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center hospital (UM Capital) in Prince George's County, Maryland, will get nearly $800,000 from the Department of Justice to go toward screening, identifying and supporting victims in medical settings.

UM Capital's emergency room, Domestic Violence & Center, OB/GYN, Behavioral Health unit and outpatient clinic will be trained on best practices to begin assisting trafficking victims or high-risk individuals.

“Victims of human trafficking are often identified by , service providers, faith-based institutions, and medical settings,” Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said in a statement.

“This grant will support the appropriate training for medical professionals within the University of Maryland Capital Region to ensure that Prince George's County is doing its part to identify and provide high-quality services to trafficking victims,” she continued.

The DOJ awarded the grant to UMD's Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE) Center for Human Trafficking under the leadership of Ambassador Susan Esserman. The organization has a partnership with the hospital.

The SAFE Center helped develop the Serve, Identify, Respond, and eValuate (SIRV) model, which will help the hospital spot people who are at risk for trafficking and offer evidence-based, trauma-informed support to victims of trafficking.

“Putting this model into action is just the first step toward ensuring that medical facilities across the state are well equipped to provide the best care possible to victims of trafficking,” Esserman said.

The center hopes that this pilot program can be scaled up to other hospitals in the UM Capital system.

Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others.

Get breaking and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2022 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original location.

ABOUT

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.

 

EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.