Students Learn About Outreach for Domestic Violence Victims

Dr. Kanchan Ganda Dr. Kanchan Ganda

Dr. Kanchan Ganda still wonders what happened to the troubled patient she saw one day in 1991. The woman, who arrived at the dental clinic with two kids in tow, had fled her abusive husband. She was living in a shelter for domestic violence survivors, and when her treatment was finished, she took out her husband's insurance card.

”I told her it wasn’t a good idea to use his dental plan because he would know where she was,"  remembered Ganda, a professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, who spoke at RSDM. "Her response was, 'I don’t think he’s that bad. We’ve been apart from each other and I don’t think he’ll hurt the children or me.'''

She used his plan because she had no other way to pay, and Dr. Ganda never saw her again. “I don’t know if she moved from that shelter or if something happened to her. But bottom line, we lost a patient and her children,'' Ganda says today.

"I should have done something more,'' she adds a moment later, still plagued by guilt.

But Ganda eventually did do something more. She founded the Dental Outreach to Survivors program (DOTS), which allows survivors of domestic violence to receive treatment at the Tufts clinic for free or at reduced cost.

At RSDM, Ganda gave advice on spotting signs of abuse and working with survivors. Learning about domestic violence and finding a way to help patients feel comfortable is the first step, she said.  "It's in your body language, the way you communicate, the way you empower the patient to open up to you,'' she told the audience of students and faculty. "Then, talk to them about confidentiality and the tools available in terms of shelters and other resources.''

Although some survivors of violence have face or neck injuries, many show no outward signs, said Ganda. Dental neglect can often be a clue, since many are isolated by their abusers and prevented from seeking care.  Although survivors may not volunteer information on their own, if asked, many are likely to confide in caregivers, she said.

Ganda advocates adding a question about domestic violence on the same checklists patients used to provide information on their mental and physical health history.

Dr. Herminio Perez, RSDM's director of multicultural affairs, organized the talk with help from  Dr. Judy Postmus and Dr. Melanie Hoffman from Rutgers Center on Violence Against Women and Children. He is planning on working with the Rutgers School of Social Work on a program to train students about screening for domestic violence.

"As healthcare providers, if we have to be trained to identify a kid who has been a victim of abuse, we should also be aware of of a woman who has been a victim of domestic violence," said Perez. " We can identify those patients and make a difference in their lives.''