Third Thursday Member Meeting Recap

Providing Health Care to Women Experiencing Violence

January 19, 2023
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Greenbrook Clubhouse,
300 Greenbrook Drive, Danville

Speaker: Dr. William Francis,
MD, MSEM, BSEE, Emergency Medicine Physician

We started the new year with our monthly meeting on January 19, 2023, at 6:00 pm. After ½ hour of our usual social time a brief branch update, our guest speaker was Dr. William Francis, Assistant Medical Director, Family Violence Prevention and Pediatrics, at the Sutter Delta Emergency Department in Antioch. His talked about emergency medicine in general, leading into specifically providing health care to women experiencing violence. He’ll also told us about the innovative TeleCARE program in Contra Costa which enables remote care for victims who may not be able to access in-person services.

In 2018 Dr. Francis began partnering with STAND! followed by the Family Justice Center and founded the TeleCARE program with the objective of providing accessible and free healthcare to all survivors of interpersonal violence and their families. Dr. Francis is a champion of interpersonal violence prevention, healthcare access and pediatric emergency services. 

Here are links to vital resources for victims of violence to receive healthcare and other services:

Family Justice Center of Contra Costa County

STAND! For Families Free of Violence – Contra Costa County

Post meeting recap…

Thank you so much to our wonderful speakers for our January meeting: Dr. William Francis, emergency room physician and Tiffany Wittmer, emergency room nurse. We learned about how patients are triaged in the ER and about how victims of domestic violence are often hesitant to seek medical care.  Dr. Francis shared information about the new program he has established here in Contra Costa County called Telecare, for remote health care at no cost. Victims of domestic violence can make one call to the Family Justice Center or STAND! For Families Free of Violence to be connected with Telecare remote health care, as well as a variety of other services including legal assistance, housing, and food to address their immediate needs.

Our speakers encouraged us to continue our work to empower women as the best way to prevent domestic violence. It was an inspiring meeting and a great opportunity for about 35 of us to meet together. It was especially nice to meet our newest members so be sure to add our Third Thursday Member Meetings to your calendar!