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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2018.02.01 - 23286MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #18050 tok Af,c;(' Pt cp BY: Commissioners Helaine Zack, District#18; Tom Berman, District #5; William Dwyer, District #14; Wade Fleming, District #16; Shelley Taub, District #12; Hugh Crawford, District #9; Nancy Quarles, District #17; , • Bob Hoffman, District #2; and Janet Jackson, District #21 PI FOR-e- t CLAS kszoSch-i rl13 • lkcce I ; 27 IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — FUNDING SUPPORT FOR HAVEN'S CONFERENCE FOR i\-1 447.3 DOMESTIC ABUSE PROFESSIONALS To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS in every community, behind closed doors, domestic violence takes place and it can happen to anyone - victims are of any age, sex, race, culture, religion, education, employment or marital status; and WHEREAS domestic violence hotlines, on an average day, receive about 15 calls every minute, resulting in approximately 21,000 calls; and WHEREAS 1 in 3 Michigan families are impacted by domestic violence; and WHEREAS in a single day in 2014, Michigan's domestic violence program provided services to 2,492 victims; and WHEREAS the signs of abuse to a victim may be hidden with no visible injuries whatsoever; and WHEREAS a lethal form of domestic violence — strangulation — leaves hidden and invisible injuries to its victims; and WHEREAS a person who experiences this lethal form of domestic violence is unconscious within 5 to 10 seconds and within minutes, death can occur; and WHEREAS only half of strangulation victims have visible injuries and of these victims only 15% could be photographed; and WHEREAS with invisible injuries to the victim, underlying brain damage occurs due to the lack of oxygen during the violent assault; and WHEREAS serious internal injuries may exist to a victim, yet many times they are undetectable; and WHEREAS with invisible and serious internal injuries undetected, many victims may die days or even weeks later; and WHEREAS victims of strangulation are exposed to potential serious health consequences, further violence and death; and WHEREAS there can be devastating psychological effects on victims as strangulation is a form of power and control by the abuser that may lead to suicide as an escape; and WHEREAS statistics indicate the potential for homicide increases by 750% for victims of previous strangulation as compared to victims of domestic violence who have never been strangled; and WHEREAS minimization of the violence of strangulation has happened due to the lack of external injuries as well as the lack of medical training among domestic violence professionals; and WHEREAS with specialized training and equipment the hidden physical effects of strangulation can be detected and recorded, resulting in lives saved and prosecution of the abuser; and WHEREAS training for domestic violence professionals provide the ability to: • identify the signs and symptoms of near-fatal strangulation cases; • understand and recognize the anatomy and medical aspects of surviving and non-surviving victims; • improve documentation and investigation of cases for prosecution; • enhance victim safety through trauma-informed advocacy services; and WHEREAS as Oakland County's only comprehensive nonprofit organization for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, HAVEN provides services and support to over 20,000 people annually; and WHEREAS HAVEN is recognized nationally as a nonprofit leader who provides programs to promote violence-free homes, violence-free communities and helps victims transform their lives; and WHEREAS HAVEN has the specialized equipment that can detect and record the physical effects of abuse to the victim that in turn can be utilized for treatment of the victim and the prosecution of the abuser; and WHEREAS with the growing concern of strangulation cases in the community, HAVEN recognizes the serious need for a specialized training conference for domestic abuse professionals to educate them on the signs, symptoms and the utilization of equipment that records the physical effects of strangulation in order to save lives and prosecute the abuser; and WHEREAS the Oakland County Board of Commissioners acknowledges the urgent need to support and protect the victims of this lethal form of domestic violence in Oakland County communities; and Commissioner DistIct #12 /r. Iley Taub Commisisioner Tom Berman District #5 Districit #16 r C6Mmis'Sioner Hugh Crawford <-1Diste 'I Legit lb-. Commissioner District # 20 WHEREAS one-time funding of $4,000 is available for appropriation from the General Fund Board of Commissioners Project Assigned Fund Balance (G/L Account #383313) to the Health Department for administration of this initiative. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes a one-time expenditure of $4,000 to be in accordance with the Rules of the Board of Commissioners relating to Sponsorship of Events and Activities or Adjunct Committees for sponsorship of HAVEN's Strangulation Conference providing specialized training to domestic abuse professionals addressing the signs and symptoms of strangulation, documentation of cases, and the utilization of equipment that records the physical effects of strangulation to victims. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners requests that Corporation Counsel negotiate and prepare an Agreement for the sponsorship of HAVEN's Strangulation Prevention Conference. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds is requested to forward copies of the adopted resolution to HAVEN, the Oakland County Health Department and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Chairperson, I move the adoption of the foregoing Resolution. )4C4../ Commissioner HeVine Zack District #18 Commissioner William Dwyer District #14 Co\rflimiisi6n ncy Quarles District #17-- Commissioner District # C ,e) issioner - District # i A Commissioner listrict # ‘o, cibommis oner District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Resolution #18050 February 1, 2018 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the Finance Committee. There were no objections.