Medical and surgical care for domestic violence survivors
Helping survivors of domestic violence cope with their injuries is so important to the doctors and staff at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts General Hospital that they donate their services for free so that survivors can improve the quality of their lives.
The program is called Facing Forward - a collaboration between MGH, MEEI and HAVEN (Helping Abuse and Violence End Now). In addition to the medical services patients will receive, they are also able to receive support and safety planning from HAVEN as they go through the process.
Melissa Dohme has undergone 10 reconstructive procedures since leaving the hospital.
She goes to the Facial Nerve Center every few months for medical Botox treatments, physical therapy and scar revision. Doctors there are performing two complex surgeries to correct her partial facial paralysis. The first one involved transplanting a nerve from her leg to her face. The second operation will attach muscle from her leg to the new nerve.
For more information:
HELP AND RESOURCES
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides information, resources & support to anyone affected by domestic violence. Free, confidential, 24/7/365 | 1-800-799-7233
- Love is Respect is a joint project between the National Dating Abuse Helpline and Break the Cycle to provide resources for teens, parents, friends and family, peer advocates, government officials, law enforcement officials and the general public. All communication is confidential and anonymous.
- Loved to Death: A "48 Hours" investigation exploring dating and breakup violence through an inside look at the murder of 18-year-old Lauren Dunne Astley at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, Nathaniel Fujita. The couple had broken up, reunited, and broken up again at the time of the murder. Nathaniel had trouble dealing with the breakup, and Lauren secretly went to visit him one last time. It was the last time she was seen alive. | Resources for teens and parents