Health Summit 2008
Preventing Violence Against Women: Community Solutions

Presented by the Missouri Foundation for Health

June 2 & 3, 2008

Hilton Garden Inn
3300 Vandiver Drive
Columbia, MO 65202

Register | Agenda | Hotel Website

The 2008 Health Summit focuses on increasing statewide understanding of how communities can work together to prevent violence against women. It showcases a broad array of organizations and agencies collaborating to provide such comprehensive programs.

Conference sessions will look at the latest information on best practices and model programs that incorporate prevention strategies aimed at:

• strengthening individual knowledge and skills
• promoting community education
• educating providers
• fostering coalitions and networks
• changing organizational practices, and
• influencing policies and state/local legislation

Plan to attend this conference if you are a:

• Health care provider
• Mental health professional
• Public health staff member
• Victim advocate
• School nurse, teacher, counselor or administrator
• Social service worker
• Youth services worker
• High school or college student
• Policy maker or community leader
• Nonprofit funder
  

Registration/Additional Information:
The 2008 Health Summit begins at 11 am, June 2 and continues through 5 pm, June 3.
Fee: $35/person (advance registration is required)

Online Registration: Click here to register online. You can also pay the registration fee online with a credit card.

To be added to the Health Summit mailing list, send an e-mail to: info@mffh.org.

Agenda (Note: Speakers and times may change)

June 2 (1/2 day)

11:00 - 11:45: Registration
Exhibits also open at this time and remain open throughout the day.

12:00 - 12:45: Welcome & Lunch
Dr. James R. Kimmey
President & CEO, Missouri Foundation for Health

Dr. Steve Pu
Chair, Missouri Foundation for Health Board of Directors

12:45 - 1:45: Keynote
Reshma Mahendra, MPH
Division of Violence Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Mahendra provides an overview of the CDC's Division of Violence Prevention's approach to preventing intimate partner and sexual violence. The emphasis is on primary prevention, the four steps of the public health approach and use of the social ecological model.

2:00 - 3:15: Afternoon Breakouts I

"Safety Planning with Survivors: Technology Considerations"
Speaker: Cheryl Robb-Welch, Missouri Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence

The discussion is on how advocates can better assist clients by understanding the technology that exists and how to use it safely, how safety plans created with victims of violence should incorporate the safe use of technology, and how to safeguard communication with victims served.

"Policy Change to Prevent Violence Against Women"
Speaker: Emily van Schenkhof, MPH, Missouri Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence

The focus is on policy change at the local, state and national level as a powerful tool to prevent violence against women, potential policies at each level which could prevent violence against women, and how to effectively advocate for policy change.

"Preventing and Responding to Domestic Violence in the Healthcare Setting"
Speaker: Jill Bleything, MSW, Rose Brooks Center

The discussion focuses on practical strategies to involve medical facilities in helping victims and preventing violence using the Rose Brooks Center Bridge Program as a model. This program is a nationally recognized, medically-based domestic violence advocacy program.


3:30 - 4:45: Afternoon Breakouts II
"Bullying Among Children and Youth"
Speaker: Dr. Glenn A. Berry, EdD, Missouri Center for Safe Schools

This workshop increases awareness of bullying and how it relates to school violence. In addition, this session provides awareness and knowledge of what teachers and staff need in order to recognize, intervene and prevent bullying.

"Partnering to Break the Silence: Ethnic Minority Communities"
Speakers: Dr. Vetta L. Sanders Thompson, Saint Louis University School of Public Health
Dr. Gloria J. Johnson, Life Source Consultants

Participants of this breakout gain: 1) increased knowledge of the incidence of violence against women in ethnic minority communities, sources of information on this topic, and physical/mental health consequences of domestic violence; 2) understanding of the public health approach to prevention of domestic violence; and 3) insight into prevention and intervention issues, strategies and resources specific to ethnic minority communities.

"Legislative Panel"
Speakers: Missouri state legislative panelists to be announced later
Missouri legislators provide information on how to effectively address legislative issues concerning violence against women.

June 3 (Full day)

8:00 - 8:45: Continental Breakfast/Late Registration
Exhibits re-open and remain available throughout the day.

9:00 - 10:15: Morning Breakouts I
"Bullying Among Children and Youth"
Speaker: Dr. Glenn A. Berry, EdD, Missouri Center for Safe Schools

This workshop increases awareness of bullying and how it relates to school violence. In addition, this session provides awareness and knowledge of what teachers and staff need in order to recognize, intervene and prevent bullying.

"Violence Against Women in Missouri's Refugee and Immigrant Communities: Detection, Intervention & Prevention"
Speaker: Barbara Bogomolov, RN

Participants gain an awareness of the demographics and overarching issues and barriers to detecting and providing services to women in Missouri's new arrival communities who are at risk of or are in violent situations. The session also provides concrete tools for bridging specific linguistic and world view gaps between client and provider.

"Using Social Marketing to Develop Comprehensive Prevention Strategies"
Speaker: David Lee, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Social marketing is much more than using media. It is a comprehensive prevention strategy to engage communities and use marketing theory, research and practice to support behavior change. During the session, participants explore the key components of a social marketing approach to preventing violence against women and how to apply them to prevention efforts in their own communities.

10:30 - 11:45: Morning Breakouts II
"Preventing Violence Against Young Women: High School Solutions"
Speakers: Sharon M. Homan, Saint Louis University School of Public Health
Ken Homan, Cor Jesu Academy

There is a great need for high school-based primary prevention of interpersonal violence, particularly against young women. Schools are challenged to raise awareness of this issue and teach appropriate skills, as well as change attitudes. This session focuses on identifying interpersonal violence risk factors, school-based violence prevention strategies/programs, a discussion of ethical considerations about teen sexuality and violent behavior, and opportunities for educators to create safe environments and help students develop healthy relationships.

"Project Illumination: Survivors with Disabilities"
Speaker: Christina Meneses, YWCA Metro St. Louis - St. Louis Regional Sexual Assault Center

People with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States, and the rates of sexual and domestic violence perpetrated against this population are staggeringly high. Participants focus on the dynamics of sexual violence against people with disabilities and discuss strategies to prevent this type of assault, and look at case studies to examine individual and organizational readiness to respond to these survivors' needs.

"Triple Threat"
Speaker: Rochelle L. Griffin, Training and Development Center/Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri

This session covers three important aspects of eliminating violence against women -- creative and non-threatening ways to bring awareness and eliminate violence by using youth to reach youth, fostering positive social networks among youth and youth service personnel, and engaging and motivating youth in influencing policies and legislation with respect to violence prevention.

12:00 - 12:45: Lunch

12:45 - 1:45: Plenary
"California's MyStrength Campaign: A Comprehensive Effort to Prevent Sexual Violence"
Speaker: David Lee, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault

California Coalition Against Sexual Assault has implemented the MyStrength Campaign, a comprehensive primary prevention social marketing campaign to engage young men to prevent sexual violence. This presentation highlights the approaches used on the community level to create social change.

2:00 - 3:15: Afternoon Breakouts
"Faith-Based Approach to Preventing Violence Against Women"
Speaker: Carolyn Held, Chaplain, and Anjali Fulambarker, Lydia's House

Participants learn how the faith-based community is addressing the issue of domestic violence and about the holistic approach that Lydia's House, a St. Louis-based organization, offers.

"Talking to Teens about Dating Violence and Abuse"
Speakers: Carrie Marsh, Safe Connections
Christopher Sean Watson, RAVEN

The focus is on the issue of teen dating violence and looks at how to effectively train school staff and parents and provide essential information about the effects of dating violence on teens. The session also looks at things that contribute to teen dating violence, and the possible warning signs of victimization and perpetration.

3:30 - 5:00: Closing Session
"Reweaving the Social Fabric: Primary Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence "
Presenter: Dr. Deborah Zelli, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence

Domestic and sexual violence are a community problem, requiring a community solution. Primary prevention (stopping the violence before the first occurrence) offers another tool for bringing communities together to address the conditions that support and perpetuate domestic and sexual violence. Because these conditions are so intricately woven into society, a comprehensive approach is vital to ending violence against women. This session will help participants think about how to begin and expand this promising work in their own communities.