Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | December 2020

7 HEALTHY When someone you know is being abused If someone you care about is in an abusive relationship, you may not be able to offer face-to-face support during the pandemic. But there are still ways you can help: ● Encourage them to think about their own well-being and a safety plan. ● Let them know that abuse is never their fault. ● Tell them that you are available to listen and help as much as you can. When staying home because of COVID-19 is not safe Health officials caution that home is the safest place to be as COVID-19 spreads. But that may not be true for people experiencing domestic violence. Being trapped at home with an abuser can make abuse—and not just physical abuse—worse. Abuse is about power and control. As a result, abusers may do things like withhold hand sanitizer or threaten to cancel health insurance. They may also try to stop their partners from getting medical care or further isolate them from others by using scare tactics. Make a plan That is why it is very important to have a safety plan ready if you are a victim of domestic violence. That plan should include how to leave in the safest possible way. You should also have contact information for: ● A neighbor, friend or relative you can go to for help in a crisis. ● A nearby emergency shelter. But keep in mind: Shelters may be full during the pandemic. So you may need to sleep in a motel or in your car, at least for a while. If you do remain at home, stay in touch with supportive friends and family with phone calls and online messaging, if it is safe to do so. Reaching out can help ease some of the stress of this very difficult time for you. Now more than ever, practice good self- care too. As much as possible, try to stick to your daily routine and make time for exercise and sleep. Caring for yourself can make a big difference in how you feel. Sources: National Domestic Violence Hotline; World Health Organization programs and services. All of this is with the goal of improving health outcomes for all Alliance members. The Alliance is committed to serving our members and improving programs and services. To show our commitment, we will share our 2020 PNA findings and action plan activities with you throughout the next year. member data, provided by DHCS, and made outreach phone calls to some of you, asking for your help in completing a survey. Based on your responses and findings from the 2020 PNA report, the Alliance is developing action plan activities to address member needs around health education, cultural and linguistic, and quality improvement If you have questions about the Alliance 2020 PNA report, please call the Alliance Health Education Line at 800-700-3874, ext. 5580 . If you need language assistance, we have a special telephone line to get an interpreter who speaks your language. For the Hearing or Speech Assistance Line, call 800-735-2929 (TTY: Dial 7-1-1 ). ARE YOU IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP? For support— including help creating a safety plan—call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799‑7233 . If you are unable to speak on the phone, text LOVEIS to 22522 .