The Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy (ACFTA) is visiting Cordova today to offer community members, health care professionals, and first responders a training on how to adequately document and report cases of violence and abuse.
The event will take place at the Cordova Community Medical Center from 10-11:30 a.m. and is open to anyone in the community. The event will not only provide training, but offer Cordovans the opportunity to give input on the community’s needs for improving forensic training to support victims of violence.
According to ACFTA, Alaska has the highest rates of interpersonal violence in the country, and rates of child and elder abuse in Alaska exceeds the national average. Additionally, 75% of Alaskans report experiencing themselves or knowing someone who has experienced domestic violence or sexual assault, said ACFTA.
“Many of our communities have programs for sexual assault response, but that doesn’t cover protocol for domestic violence, strangulation or elder abuse,” said Angelia Trujillo, professor of nursing at UAA and architect behind the program, in a press release.
ACFTA is a collaborative initiative supported by the UAA College of Health, the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, and the Alaska Nurses Association. The goal of the program is to offer accessible training to empower health care professionals to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-driven care and contribute to enhancing community safety.
While Monday’s event is open to the community, ACFTA suggests health aides, emergency service providers, nurses, social workers, physician assistants, dentists, and other health care workers attend. ACFTA’s trainings and events aim to promote trauma-informed care and treating all victims of violence with dignity and respect.
“While we recognize there are opportunities to train as a sexual assault examiner, there wasn’t a training available that took an even broader approach to equip health care professionals and first responders with the knowledge to adequately document all types of violence,” said Trujillo.
“Only about one in 10 report,” Trujillo added about sexual assault survivors. “The numbers are even higher for child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse and strangulation. So we don’t know how bad the problem actually is. What we do know is they’re being seen in our facilities, and we want the ability to help them get justice.”
The Cordova stop is one of more than 12 stops ACFTA is making on a tour of Alaskan communities.
For more information contact [email protected].
