PHILADELPHIA — The City’s Office of Domestic Violence Strategies (ODVS) is now part of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s (PDPH) Division of Reproductive, Adolescent, and Child Health (ReACH). Prior to this transition, ODVS was a separate office under the Health and Human Services portfolio in the Managing Director’s Office. ODVS was created by the City in 2016 in response to advocacy by community-based organizations that identified the need for a single office solely dedicated to the City’s response to domestic violence.
This new structure will expand programming and initiatives that address intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence, and sex trafficking in Philadelphia. Integrating ODVS’s work into ReACH will strengthen the City’s capacity to use data-driven public health approaches to identify IPV and sexual violence, facilitate early intervention to prevent further harm, and to connect survivors and their children to the immediate and long-term support they need.
“Domestic violence is a public health crisis that requires community engagement and community leadership, which is exactly what ODVS works to foster throughout the city,” said Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson, Commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. “ReACH is comprised of a top-tier staff of professionals, prepared and proud to undertake the enormous responsibility of coordinating inclusive, survivor-focused care and strategies for Philadelphia.”
By integrating with PDPH, ODVS will gain access to public health resources and expertise that were previously available only through partnerships. Because ReACH’s initiatives focus on populations that face a higher risk of IPV and sexual violence, ReACH and ODVS have collaborated closely for many years, including a five-year project on the intersection of IPV and pregnancy and the recent transition of the management of the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Resource Center.
The core principles of ODVS are to leverage existing resources, to partner with City agencies and community-based organizations, to ensure sustainability by embedding the work in city government and, most importantly, to recognize that intimate partner and sexual violence are public health issues and should be treated as such.
“Our work over the last 10 years has confirmed our belief that the only way to end domestic violence and sexual violence is to treat them as a public health issue and, therefore, have a public health response,” said Azucena Ugarte, Director of the Office of Domestic Violence Strategies. “We are excited about integrating our work with PDPH and ReACH and are hopeful that this change will strengthen the City’s ability to intervene early, prevent the worst outcomes, and, ultimately, end domestic and sexual violence.”
ReACH leads the City’s efforts to ensure equitable health outcomes for all Philadelphians across their life course, with particular emphasis on reproductive health, women’s health, infant and child health, and adolescent health. The division takes a comprehensive public health approach to this work through direct services, health outcomes surveillance, coalition building, community education, and cross-sector initiatives.
To learn more about ODVS, visit: https://www.phila.gov/departments/office-of-domestic-violence-strategies/.
To learn more about ReACH and their direct services, visit: https://www.phillylovesfamilies.com/.