Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15-44 in the United States – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991). Twenty-two to 35 percent of women who visit emergency rooms are there for injuries or illnesses related to on-going abuse (Journal of American Medical Association). Although looking at statistics like these might provide some idea of the magnitude of the problem, the complexities of domestic violence – its hidden nature in our culture, the impact it has on a family – are far from quantitative analysis. And an even more difficult question for communities to answer is, What can we do to stop it?

The DOVE Project is an important step in response to domestic violence. A joint program of the YWCA of St. Joseph County, Memorial Hospital of South Bend, and Madison Center and the Hospital’s S-O-S program, it’s also a step taken in partnership, though perhaps from different points of origin. Not yet a year old, the DOVE Project is a domestic violence intervention and education program that focuses on using its partnership to create a strong network for identifying survivors of domestic violence and assisting them in accessing resources to help break the cycle of violence.

All DOVE partners came to the planning table from their own experiences and concerns surrounding domestic violence and what they could do to prevent it. Dora Reynolds, Director of the YWCA of St. Joseph County, speaks eloquently about the on-going efforts against domestic violence that has been central to the Y’s mission for years and years. Providing emergency shelter for women and children escaping abusive environments, the YWCA has built a broad array of services for families struggling to survive the dark and complex cycles of violence. These range from a Survivor’s Support network, which provides advocacy for survivors of domestic violence who pursue legal action, to a Life Skills Education program that presents lectures and experiential workshops relevant to the lives of women today. At length Dora can passionately articulate both the cultural and political challenges inherent in stopping domestic violence, as well as the demanding practicalities of programming that considers diverse individual survivor needs.

At the same time, staff at Memorial Hospital know that good healthcare is not about simply attending to immediate injuries. It is about preventing injuries through education and support as well -- even if it means taking on social issues that cause emotional as well as physical injury. And Madison Center’s S-O-S program, which stand for Sex Offense Services, realizes the linkages between sex offenses and domestic violence, and the importance of including services in programming that address every kind of relationship abuse.

These community institutions, and the people who comprise them, have carried the DOVE Project on their wings. The program’s evolution is all about their own commitment, learning, and coming together to fly against the wind of a complex, pervasive and largely closeted, societal and public health issue.