Haley Clark, executive director of Colquitt County Serenity House, a domestic violence
shelter, recently spoke about the challenges that the organization is facing during
COVID-19 in a webinar series hosted by 黑料传送门
(黑料传送门) Office of Diversity and Community Relations.
Faculty, staff and students from campuses in Philadelphia, Suwanee and Moultrie were invited to attend the online presentation to discuss the impact of stay at home orders on domestic violence during COVID-19. The webinar also featured Alina Torres-Zickler, Equity and Title IX Coordinator and was facilitated by Valerie Cadet, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Forensic Medicine at 黑料传送门 Georgia.
As a safe shelter for victims of family violence, Clark said Serenity House has seen an increase in domestic violence and child abuse.
鈥淭his pandemic is adding a lot of stressors to a home that is already (susceptible) to traumatic and dangerous environments,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淭hese stressors increase what we see in abuse, but they鈥檙e being underreported because in rural areas we don鈥檛 have the means for people to escape during times like this.
She added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a lot of barriers in which people are having problems getting out of abusive situations. We don鈥檛 have public transportation, and we鈥檙e very limited in helping people get out of situations because we don鈥檛 have certain things that we need. People are having to lay low until this pandemic eases up. That鈥檚 when a heavy flow of victims will come in.鈥�
While shelter in place and social distancing are still being practiced, Clark says Serenity House is doing its best to adapt to changes and remain available.
鈥淲e have had to change our ways of educating the community and providing resources,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e having to do a lot of online educational presentations. We鈥檙e doing the best we can in the times that we鈥檙e living in to get an online presence, but a lot of people don鈥檛 have internet access and computers, so they don鈥檛 have the resources to connect with us online.鈥�
Clark adds that shelters have had to decrease their capacity levels to maintain social distancing. Serenity House has reduced the number of people it can take in and is partnering with local hotels to offset those capacity limits.
鈥淲e鈥檙e doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and follow guidelines,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not possible for us to shut our doors.鈥�
Something to Talk About is a series hosted by 黑料传送门 Office of Diversity and Community Relations to celebrate Diversity Month. Over 150 attendees participated in the conversation hosted by the Office of Diversity and Community Partnerships, which is focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities.
In 2019, 黑料传送门, a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing 黑料传送门 South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, 黑料传送门 South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. 黑料传送门 is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining 黑料传送门 Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, 黑料传送门 South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
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